The Story of My Death  By Izura Lee
by Aceof2010Spades
Summary: What happens when a girl is killed by a Hollow and ambitiously persues becoming a soul reaper... For the safety of myself as a writer, I am going to bump this up to rated M just in case. For the most part it is definitely T. My OC and Ikkaku.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The moon was a large yellow orb in the sky, the harvest moon. The girl tip-toed down the stairs and over to the sliding door that faced the woods behind her house. She paused and listened. Crickets chirped outside, but there was no sound coming from above her. Satisfied that she had not woke anyone up, she slowly slid the door open and stepped into the moon light.

As soon as she entered the woods she started running. She couldn't wait to see _him_… The forest seemed a little foreboding tonight, but she ignored its warning. The forest stretched behind her family's property and around a section of Karakura town. She kept running, telling herself that it was just a little bit farther to the river and her meeting.

_Roaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh…_ The girl stopped in her tracks at the sound of the ghostly wail. She looked from side to side, trying to locate the source of the sound. She spun around, and behind her was a large monster that looked like a giant burgundy bear. It had claws the size of butcher knives and a skull that covered its face. The monsters eyes were like black pits and its teeth were covered in blood. Pulse racing, mind reeling, she darted away and started running back towards her home. She fought the urge to scream as the monster wailed again and gave chase. She ran, tears streaming down her face. As her house came into view the sound of the massive creature following her stopped.

She slowed down and was about to turn to look when she felt something strong and sharp strike her back. The monster had finally attacked, and it left 3 large gashes across her back. The impact sent her flying and she crashed through a few trees before she hit the ground and rolled onto the edge of her lawn. Blood welled from her back and stained the ground around her red. The girl gasped for breath, each a shallow, painful, whisper. Her vision began to blur and she felt the life slipping from her. The last thing she saw before she was plunged into the darkness was a boy with orange hair and a black kimono running towards her. The monster let out another wail, and then everything went black for the girl.


	2. A Painful Realization

Chapter 1: A Painful Realization

She opened her eyes to a gruesome scene. Blood was everywhere, and the monster was dissipating into a black mist (slain by a slice through the head). Its killer stood with his back to her, holding a large black and silver sword that reminded her of an oversized knife. His orange hair and kimono swished lightly in the wind. Behind him lay a girl, her face to the ground and her curly brown hair fell around her shoulders (shielding her face from view). Blood covered her clothes and the ground around her. That's when she remembered what had happened.

She bolted upright and looked down at herself. "Am I… dead?" She whispered aloud. She noticed a severed chain connected to her chest, and then looked back at what she now realized to be her dead, physical body. Then she noticed the chain snaking through the grass with its severed end towards her. She heard footsteps and looked up to see the boy walking over. His sword was still in his hand, but it wasn't facing towards her. He had a melancholy look on his face as he kneeled down. "I'm sorry… that I came too late… but that monster Hollow can't hurt you anymore." He stood and held his hand out for hers. She grabbed it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, what's yours?" he asked. He was a full head taller than her, but it didn't intimidate her.

"I'm Izura, Izura Lee." She replied. The sky was growing pink, and her physical body was getting paler. She looked back up to the sky and watched a passing cloud, envying its fluffy ignorance to her death. "So what happens now?" she asked, not tearing her gaze from the cloud. "I'm dead, so do I go to heaven? Or am I going to hell for sneaking out? And what the hell is a hol… whatever that thing was?"

She asked in calm and measured tone. _What is, is._ She thought.

Ichigo re-sheathed his sword and faced her. "I'll answer your questions, but I can't now. I'll come back after school and answer any questions you have… Take the time between then and now to do what you may need to do." He gave her a gentle smile, and then disappeared without a trace.

The sun peeked over the trees, setting a weird otherworldly glow around her physical body. Izura walked over and sat next to it. Her eyelids and lips were a ghastly purple and her skin looked pasty white. Izura felt sick, but she couldn't throw up. She heard a blood-curdling shriek come from the house, and the back door slid and crashed against the other side of the doorway. Her mother ran out, her brown hair bouncing as she went. Her normally gentle brown eyes were wide and panicked.

"IZURA!" She shrieked as she reached Izura's body.

Izura's father peeked his head out the door to see what was going on. His shoulder length black hair was already pulled into a ponytail. His green eyes went from half-asleep to curious, then straight to panicked anguish as he ran from the door, phone in hand. Her mother slumped to her knees and tried to find a pulse as her father dialed 911.

"She's… She's…" Her mother sobbed out. "She's DEAD!" Her father urgently explained what he could of the situation to the 911 operator, and then kneeled down to his wife. He patted back her hair and began to weep. Izura was their first child; her mother was 3 months pregnant with their second.

A siren began to wail in the distance, signaling the approach of the ambulance. Izura got up and turned away, she couldn't watch anymore. She ran from the yard, passing paramedics on her way out. She kept running until she reached the outer wall of her school. She wasn't tired, out of breath, or even hungry. This must be what it is like to be dead, she concluded. She walked to the gate and went to her class room, 1-C. She was a first year student, and didn't really know anybody yet except her best friend Mari and… _him_… The teacher was taking attendance and was almost to Izura's name when a student ran into the classroom and though Izura. He shivered as he did, but continued to the teacher and handed her a slip of paper. As he left the teacher opened and read the slip of paper, her left hand rising to her mouth as she gasped.

"Class, I have some grave news. Your classmate Izura Lee was found dead this morning; I don't have the details…" she announced. Izura didn't want to hear anymore. She headed up to the third floor and looked for the staircase to the roof. As she passed a classroom, she felt a strange pressure emanating towards her. It felt vaguely familiar to an unconscious part of her brain, so she fed her curiosity and walked through the door. Everything thing looked normal… then she noticed Ichigo.

She could tell that he was part of the strange pressure she was feeling. Sitting around him were 3 others whom she knew were contributing to the pressure. They were a dark skinned boy with curly hair that covered his eyes, a boy with black hair and glasses, and a girl with black hair and blue eyes. A fifth individual was seated a little farther away, but was also contributing to the pressure. She had long ginger hair and a gentle facial expression. The girl with the black hair noticed Izura first. Without turning her head she looked at Izura and cleared her throat lightly. Ichigo started, and then looked over at her, then at Izura. His expression changed into a face that read: WHAT THE HELL? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? For a moment, then he went to stand. Izura shook her hands and whispered "No, don't get up…" When she spoke the other boys and the ginger haired girl looked over at her. Izura wasn't sure if ghosts could blush, but she was embarrassed.

She weaved her way through the desks (causing students to shiver) to where Ichigo was, and sat on the floor. "Just pretend like I'm not here, I didn't mean to interrupt." He nodded his head ever so slightly and went back to listening to the lecture. The others followed suit, so Izura relaxed. She listened to lectures on math, English and history until around noon. A bell rang, and the students all grabbed their lunches. Ichigo stood and said "Come on".

The other 4 followed Ichigo and Izura as they left the classroom and made their way up to the roof. While Ichigo and the black hair girl talked with and about Izura, the other three sat eating their lunches. They were obviously listening in, but Izura didn't really care.

"Who is this?" the girl asked Ichigo.

"This is Izura, the one I told you about this morning." He replied. "Izura, this is Rukia Kuchiki." Rukia turned and shook her hand eagerly. "Nice to meet you Izura."

The other girl got up and approached Izura, followed by the other 2 boys. She grasped Izura's hand and introduced herself. "I am Orihime Inoue, nice to meet you! And they are Chad (she said, indicating the curly haired boy) and Uryu (indicating the boy with the glasses). What brings you here?"

Izura recounted the events of just before and after her death, and then about how she had felt the strange pressure she had felt that had enticed her into the classroom. Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a knowing look that the others missed. A bell rang suddenly, signaling the end of lunch. Uryu, Chad and Orihime packed up their lunch boxes and headed back to class with a nod and wave to Izura.

"Are you going to come back to our class?" Rukia asked her. Izura shook her head.

"No, I think I am going to go see my parents one last time… I'll see you later".

She excused herself then headed home. She walked through streets that had cars speeding through them and laughed as she felt nothing when they passed through. She entered through the front door, hoping that they were home. For all she knew they could be at the hospital or something. Nothing had been touched all day, and the house she had lived in all her life seemed dark and desolate. She found them in her room, looking over her baby album. She sat with them for a while wishing that there was something that she could do to make it easier on them. The room started to get dark and the sun set behind the trees. Izura heard a low whistle and looked out her window to see Ichigo and Rukia in matching kimonos.

She turned and gave each of her parents a brief hug (at which they shivered) and jumped out of the window onto the lawn below. She landed with a hard thump. "Owww… that actually hurt a little..." she sighed rubbing her hip where she had fallen.

"Yea dummy, you just jumped out of a second story window. You may be dead, but you are still a spirit." Rukia laughed. Izura noticed that Rukia's sword was more of a katana than a giant butcher knife as they sat down. Ichigo looked at Izura and began.

"I'm going to give you a little history then you can ask questions…"he started, but Rukia interrupted him.

"Maybe_ I_ should give this talk." She pulled out a pad of paper and started drawing. She explained that there were two kinds of spirits: the harmless ones like Izura and the destructive ones called Hollows. Rukia drew a happy bunny and an angry bunny, causing Ichigo to burst out laughing. Rukia rolled her eyes and continued. She explained that Hollows are the souls of evil human beings or souls who were attacked by Hollows.

"I was attacked by a Hollow then?" Izura interrupted.

"Yes," Ichigo replied. "From time to time, Hollows attack living humans. These humans have stronger than normal spiritual pressure and awareness. Spiritual Pressure is what you felt when you found us at school today. Now, on the subject of heaven…" Rukia cleared her throat.

"The soul society is where souls go to rest in peace. There are different sectors, and the main one is the Seireitei. I am from the Seireitei, which houses the 13 court guard squads. Each squad is made up of soul reapers, of which I am. Ichigo, being a living human, is only a substitute soul reaper, but you can learn the major details later. I am going to send you to the soul society now. What you do when you get there is up to you." Rukia drew her sword and a symbol appeared on the butt of the hilt.

Fear struck Izura, but Rukia only stamped her forehead with the hilt. "We hope to meet up with you again, Izura…" Ichigo said as Izura was enveloped in a white light.


	3. A Day in the Death of Izura

Chapter 2: A Day in the Death of Izura

A door appeared in the white, and with nowhere else to go, Izura walked through it. She stepped into an office decorated with feudal Japanese décor. Sitting across from her was a man with spikey white hair and a navy blue kimono. His desk was neat and there wasn't much on it: a paint brush, ink, scroll paper, a file, and a bonsai.

"Welcome Izura, I am Bugo, the administrator of new souls here in the soul society."

Izura was surprised that he knew her name, but replied "Thank you Bugo… may I ask… what do I do now?" He smiled.

"I've looked at your record, and I've made preparations fo your new living arrangements." He pushed a button on his desk that Izura had somehow overlooked, and a door opened up behind Izura again. "Welcome to your new home Izura, good luck!"

Izura stepped inside and looked over her new house. It was also feudal Japanese. To her left was a room with a kotetsu, a hutch filled with various china pieces and the floor was covered in tatami mats. To her right was the kitchen. There was a wall separating the rooms, but instead of a door there was only an archway. At the back of the room with the kotetsu there were two doors: the one on the left was a modern bathroom (_Thank God!_ Izura thought) and the one on the right was her bedroom. The shoji wall across from her had a sliding door. Her bed was in the middle of the floor and a dresser awaited her to the left. Inside the dresser were various kimonos.

The clothes she wore were still ripped and bloody, so she pulled out a navy blue kimono with black and white koi on it and changed. Once she was dressed she opened her back door and marveled at her backyard. A tall fence outlined her entire property and she could see bamboo stalks over the top of it. There was also a koi pool with various colored fish in it. Izura closed the back door and began to cry for the first time as reality set in. She was dead, and completely alone.

After a while she wiped her eyes and came to a conclusion: she wanted revenge. And for that to happen she would need to become a soul reaper. And for that to happen, she needed information. She cleaned up her face so she didn't look like a total train wreck and headed out the front door. The early light of dawn was just stretching on the horizon, promising a crisp, clear day. It was still cool out but there were plenty of people around. All along the street were house fronts and the occasional alley way was home to a street cart vendor or 2, depending on how wide it was.

Some children ran past Izura, oblivious to her existence. There were 4 of them, and the last one, a little girl of about 5 years, crashed into Izura. The girl had a crown of curly blond ringlets that hung around her shoulders. They bounced as she fell to the ground. She immediately started crying, causing the others to stop and turn around. The one in the lead looked about 13. His red hair hung in his eyes and spiked out the back where he had it in a ponytail. The other 2 were identical twins who looked about 7 or 8. They had long brown hair that was pulled back into ponytails, but the girls was considerably longer. The red head dropped the paper bag he was carrying and ran back to the little girl. Izura couldn't see his eyes, but knew that he was concerned.

"Come, come Arikia. We have to go… Are you alright?" She nodded her head, and the boy lifted her up to his shoulders. He picked up his bag, then turned to Izura and said "We're really really sorry ma'am!" They started running again, and as they disappeared Izura noticed how grubby and torn their clothes had been. Izura sighed, it was terrible that someone her age had to die, but it was worse seeing those kids around.

She started walking down the street and looked for anyone who might be a soul reaper. She travelled through streets and squares, trying not to become more overwhelmed as more and more souls appeared. When he search proved fruitless she contented herself to sightseeing. The soul society was home to marketplaces, gardens, and plenty public shrines with koi pools. She had arrived in a very desolate looking section when her stomach growled. She gasped in surprise then laughed. "I didn't think I would ever feel hungry again!" Izura said to herself as she looked around for a food stand or restaurant. As far as she could see, there was nothing but rubbish and a few haunted looking people.

"Rukia never mentioned this…" She said as she turned back the way she had come. A crash to her right made her shriek, only to find it was a cat jumping from a trash can. Frightened, she started to run back towards home. As the sun ducked behind her house, Izura made it in the front door. She made her way over to the fridge and began ransacking it for food. She settled on a tempura shrimp bento box and began to devour it. She cleaned the box when she was done and then headed to her bed. She was exhausted, and she hadn't been able to find a single soul reaper.


	4. A New Opportunity

Chapter 3: A New Opportunity

_**{Time Skip 1 Year}**_

Cold stone met her back as Izura backed into the wall. Sweat beaded on her forehead as her mind raced, trying to create an escape. The man (who looked like he was in his mid-forties) chuckled.

"What's wrong? I'm not gonna hurt you…" He said, taking another step closer.

His hair hung messily in his face, and his chin was covered in spikey stubble. His clothes were stained and ragged. To top it all off, it smelled like his favorite cologne was major body odor. He ran his hand down her arm, causing goose bumps to appear.

"Come on; make a lonely man happy!" The old man stated with a laugh.

At this point she was past regretting her decision to come to this section of the soul society. Instead, she was filled with a rage like no other. She grabbed his arm and twisted it until he gave a screech of pain. His screech only made her more enraged, and as the feeling surged, the man was sent flying into the wall behind him. He quickly got to his feet and ran, clutching his limp arm. Izura dropped to her knees, trying to catch her breath. _What was that?_ She wondered. Her vision blurred, and she gasped. _No! Not in this rough district…_ She looked around for help but searched in vain. A dark edging took over her vision, and in less than a minute Izura blacked out. Unbeknownst to her, a figure in a black kimono watched from a roof top nearby…

When Izura opened her eyes, she was still in the alley way. She lay still for a moment as she tried to get her bearings and immediately noticed something different. For one, she was on her back and could see the dark clouds starting to cloak the sky. She felt the breeze starting to pick up in strength and brush her hair around her face. The other thing that was different was that a soul reaper was sitting by her head. He had a bald head with red lines coming off of the outer corners of his eyes. She could only see the hilt of his sword from where she lay. She blinked then slowly sat up.

"Ah, so you are finally awake…" he said looking down on her. He didn't look friendly, but he also didn't look hostile. She sat up with her back against the wall and leaned her head back. After a sigh, she asked.

"What happened after I passed out? Did you enjoy yourself?" It took a minute for what she had insinuated to sink in, but then his entire head blushed.

"I woul… I would never do something like that!" He shouted in a defensive tone. When he had calmed down he replied: "The man ran off and I found you. You passed out face down so I put you on your back so you wouldn't suffocate… or something, I don't know… It's been 2 hours maybe? I didn't want to move you somewhere else and have you thinking weird things when you woke up, but that still happened."

Then he grumbled something along the lines of: last time I sit by someone to make sure they don't get raped… "That was some intense spiritual pressure you gave off," he continued. "Would you like to meet my captain?"

Izura nodded… _So that's what it was… _She thought. "I'm sure he would like to meet someone with such potential." He said with a devilish smile. Izura couldn't believe her ears; this was the chance she had been waiting for!

"I would really appreciate that," she replied. He got to his feet and extended his hand.

"The name is Ikkaku Madarame, third seat of squad 11. What's yours?" He pulled her up to stand in front of him.

"Izura Lee, nice to meet you". Izura replied with a smile.

He didn't let go of her hand as the rain began to pour down on them. "I set a fast pace, try to keep up!" he said, then took off down the alley way with Izura in tow. After a few minutes the scenery became totally new to Izura. Things were pristine and a large wall came into view. Ikkaku led her over to an immense gate with an equally immense gate keeper. Even though the gate was open, he went and exchanged a few words with the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper gave a deep chuckle then Ikkaku grabbed Izura's hand again and started off once more, his ears blushing.

Izura immediately noticed the difference. This was the Seireitei, home of the 13 court guard squads. She could feel immense spiritual pressures coming from all over the place. Soul reapers became a common sight as they got closer and closer to the center. The rain made the streets slippery and Izura's clothes were completely soaked through, but she managed to keep up. Eventually Ikkaku spoke up.

"Normally I would bring you to the academy and see if you wanted to get signed up, but with the spiritual pressure you have…. I know my captain will be intrigued by you. Where did you get that kind of power, especially as a new soul. You must have been pretty soul intuitive when you were alive. Do you have an interest in becoming a soul reaper?" he asked as he rounded another corner.

Izura wasn't sure what to say or how to say it without sounding overly eager, but she replied "Yes, actually. I had met 2 soul reapers when I died and they have been on my mind ever since…. So what is your captain like?" she asked.

Ikkaku laughed. "He lives to fight. If he finds someone who he thinks will put up a good fight, he pursues them. As for you, I believe he will notice your potential and give you a recommendation so you are immediately accepted into the academy. Just be forewarned, he may want you to fight him in the future as payment…"

They arrived at the gate of a barracks and Ikkaku announced "Here we are, the Squad 11 barracks." Only a few soul reapers were milling about in the rain, looking bored with the peace. One soul reaper noticed Ikkaku and walked over. His back hair was styled around his jawline and he had a red feathers popping off his right eye brow and yellow feathers coming off the outer corner of his right eye. An orange turtle neck of sorts had been added to his kimono, covering any skin that would have been exposed. It was connected by a string to a matching sleeve under his kimono sleeve (except the orange one extends to his wrist).

"Ikkaku… I'm surprised at you, bringing a girl back to a place like this. I thought you were more interested in fighting… Oh well, I guess even you would fall for a cutie like this with her curls and, may I say, beautiful purple eyes." At the comment about her eyes, Izura noticed that his own eyes were just a shade lighter than her own. As he continued Ikkaku became visibly more shocked and annoyed.

"YUU-MII-CHII-KA!" Ikkaku snapped. "It's not like that!" Izura wasn't sure if his head was red from blushing or his outburst. "This is Izura; she can give off some crazy spiritual pressure, so I'm bringing her to meet the captain." Yumichika smirked.

"Whatever you say Ikkaku, but if you aren't careful I may have to steal this beauty away from you… my name is Yumichika Ayasegawa by the way. Nice to meet you miss Izura…"

"Izura Lee." She finished for him. "And it is nice to meet you too."

He took her hand in his and kissed the top of it lightly. He looked up at her, still holding her hand, and said "I hope to see you again real soon, miss Lee." Then he disappeared into the barracks.  
>"Come on," Ikkaku summoned, and he led her in the opposite direction. Not long after entering the barracks they came across a small girl with pink hair. She wore a soul reaper kimono and was heading in the same direction as them. She stopped and looked back, her eyes lighting up.<p>

"BALDY!" she said, turning around and waiting for them to catch up.

Ikkaku groaned and said "Hey Yachiru. Why can't you just call me…" Yachiru ran up to Izura and interrupted Ikkaku.

"HI! I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, what's your name?" Izura couldn't help but smile at the small girl in front of her.

"Hi Yachiru, my name is Izura Lee. Nice to meet you." Yachiru laughed.

"Okay, I'm going to call you Izzie! I'll go tell Kenny!" she said as she ran off.

Ikkaku sighed. "You'll have to excuse the Lieutenant... she likes to nickname people, as I am sure you can tell."

_Lieutenant…_ It was then that Izura remembered noticing a plate attached to her arm with the symbol for squad 11. Ikkaku rounded another corner then opened a door at the end of the hallway. Inside stood a large man, his soul reaper kimono covered by a battle torn white cloak. His muscular chest was slightly exposed underneath his kimono and was bandaged at the bottom. His face had a long scar crossing it, and his hair spiked out at the back. The man's left eye was covered by an eye patch. The last thing that Izura noticed was Yachiru sitting on his shoulder.

"See Kenny, isn't she pretty? This is my new friend Izzie!" The captain of squad 11 looked her over then tuned to Ikkaku.

"Her spiritual pressure is impressive, but what do you want me to do? I can't fight her as she is now." Ikkaku shook his head.

"How much improvement do you think she could make after some time in the academy though?"

The captain looked thoughtful then replied "Fine. But you need to keep an eye on her progress. I **do** want to fight her in the future." He turned back to Izura and continued. "I am captain of squad 11, Kenpachi Zaraki. If you want to join the academy, come with me."


	5. Class Of Rookies

Chapter 4: Class of Rookies

"I'm not going to welcome you to this academy, because over half of you won't be here in a week. You are to refer to me as Sensei and nothing else. This week is going to be a grueling schedule of rapid fire history and structure of the 13 court guard squads, low level kido spells, and a few swordsmanship trials. I'm going to weed out those of you who are worthy of being here and the ones who are a living joke, nothing but mere wannabes. Now, listen up. I'm going to start with the different squads and their duties…"

Izura sat in a modern Japanese lecture hall amongst a hundred other new students. Today was her first day at the academy and she was intent on still being here in a week. She would stop at nothing to become a soul reaper. Her hand flew over the paper (which she had bought from a vendor the day before) as she wrote down notes as fast as Sensei talked. Her academy uniform was a red and white kimono with 2 red pinstripes on each sleeve. The boys had matching ones in blue.

Her Sensei was a middle-aged man with shoulder length brown hair that was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. His eyes were as green as the bamboo stalks outside the window. He was very muscular, and Izura figured he would probably tower head and shoulders over her measly 5 foot 3 inch height. He looked a little rough around the edges, but Izura figured that was just how he was amongst most people.

"Squad 4 is the squad that handles medical treatment on the battlefield. It is headed by Captain Retsu Unohana and Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu. Squad 12 is all about research and development. They research phenomena that could be important to soul reapers, develop new technology, and handle other important duties. Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and his daughter, Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi are in charge of this squad. The last specialized squad is squad 2, the punishment force. Soul reapers that belong to squad 2 are trained with extreme discipline and are in essence like ninjas. In command of this squad are Captain Soi Fon and Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda. These 3 squads, along with the rest of the squads, will be gone over in better detail later…"

While Izura scribbled down more and more notes, she noticed a boy out of the corner of her eye doing the same. He scribbled with a bit more refined movements, but he was as earnest about his studies as Izura.

"Enough of this for today." Sensei said abruptly. "Let's head out to the training arena." He left the room and the 100 students scrambled to follow.

As she walked, Izura listened in on 2 female classmates ahead of her. They were a tad noisy, so they weren't trying to keep any secrets. The girl on the left sighed. "Sensei is sooo hot. I love men like him… the smart ones that come off a little gruff but are really big sweeties..." She squealed and continued "Gosh I just wanna hug him!"

Izura imagined the girl on the right rolling her eyes. "How do you know that he is really a 'big sweetie'? I think he is as gruff as he comes off and that you are crazy for liking guys like him…" She cut off as they exited the building into the training arena.

The rest of the class crowded around quietly as Sensei began. "I'm going to teach you a kido spell today, and I want you to practice it tonight until you can perform it tomorrow without any flaws. If you want to be soul reapers you have to make it your only objective. Now watch and learn… Hado number 31, Shakkaho!" He held out his right arm, his palm facing outward, then placed his left hand in the crook of his right elbow. Izura made sure to note his form to her memory then watched as a red light burst forth from his right palm. The energy flew forward and exploded against the far wall. The energy created a line of flames where it had hit the wall.

Izura was amazed at the amount of spiritual pressure Sensei had fluctuated while performing the spell. It had been normal until he assumed the position, then it had spiked and gathered at his hand. All the students around her were whistling and murmuring about how awesome Sensei was or how they wish they could do that. Izura wasn't sure she could make a blast that big, and if she did manage to, it would probably end up like when she had met Ikkaku.

"Sensei" Izura said as she approached. "Do our blasts have to be that big in order to pass?" Sensei looked her over like he was sizing her up, then replied "I don't expect any of you to create a blast that big until you graduate the academy. Why don't you show us what you've got? Attention, class." _What the hell? I don't know how to do it yet!_ Izura panicked, but she calmly walked in front of the class and faced the far wall_. Here goes my pride and my first impression to the class…_ She assumed the position and called out "Hado 31: Shakkaho!" She felt her spiritual pressure spike and a red light formed in front of her palm. She concentrated and surged the energy like she had at the perverted old man, causing the ball to grow to 1 third the size of Sensei's. She began to feel dizzy, so she released the energy. She really didn't want to black out in front of the class, it would be super embarrassing. The energy flew across the arena and exploded against the far wall like Sensei's. Everyone looked on in awe, and she even saw a flicker of satisfaction in Sensei's eyes.

"I certainly wasn't expecting something as well formed or large as that from such a fresh rookie. You pass, I will not test you again tomorrow… As for the rest of you, line up and show me what you got. I want to see how many more of you are as talented as her."

Izura sat on a bench and watched as her classmates took turns firing energy blasts at the far wall. She was lured into contentment until a loud blast was fired, startling her. The user was the boy from earlier when she had been taking notes. Sensei walked over and told him he had passed and could sit out. With that, they boy walked over and sat next to Izura. His hair was jet black and short except where his bangs hung over his left eye. His eyes were the same shade of blue as the male academy uniforms. He was tall and a little lanky, but still muscular from what Izura could guess. He turned toward her and smiled.

"Hi, my name is Akiname Ise. Your Shakkaho earlier was amazing!"

Izura was flattered by his words, but kept her cool by replying "Really? Thanks… I was so nervous that I would mess up. My name is Izura Lee, by the way."

The 2 of them chatted for a while on the bench until Sensei called for the end of class. In the end, no one else could muster the power Izura and Akiname had. Izura thought about Akiname on her walk home. He was a nice guy, and it turned out that his cousin was a Lieutenant! He had praised her again for her Shakkaho before they had parted ways, and it felt… weird. Izura wasn't really used to getting praised for anything, much less by a guy.

When she arrived home it was late, and she wasn't really in the mood for dinner. She got in her PJ's then lay in her bed. _I'm closer to my goal…_ She thought. _But what_ was _my goal_? With each day that passed her memories from when she had died faded more and more. She could still remember Rukia and Ichigo, but not how she had died or why becoming a soul reaper would help her achieve revenge. She couldn't even remember who she wanted to get revenge on or why. Izura flipped on her side and sighed. _Hopefully, one day in the future, I will remember the important details of what I want to know…_


	6. Down To Business

Chapter 5: Down to Business

Izura woke up the next morning to the sound of meowing. _I don't own a cat…_ she thought. Still half-asleep, she got out of bed and went to check the back door. There was no sign of a cat, so she slid the door shut again. That was weird. Izura turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting in the middle of her floor was a golden colored cat with darker gold stripes. The cat's tail was the longest she had ever seen on a domestic cat, and he twitched it as she watched him. He mewed and cocked his head to the side.

"Uh… hi… kitty kitty." Izura said in surprise. She definitely hadn't been expecting a cat to be in her house. He got up and walked over to where she still stood, then rubbed his head against her legs. He didn't have a collar or anything so Izura figured it would be fine for him to stay for a little while. She would definitely need to find a shop that had cat food… or at least something she could feed it.

"Oh… what about a name?" she suddenly remarked aloud. _Hmmm… I could call him Sunny… No. That's way too cheesy._ She pondered it for another minute then decided on what that she thought would fit. "I would way rather sound like a dork than a five year old. How does Masaomi sound?" Izura asked the cat without expecting reply. He was one of her favorite anime characters, but she didn't have a TV so she couldn't watch it anymore. The cat purred and began weaving through her legs enthusiastically. _I'll take that as a yes._

She got him some left over salmon from the fridge and put it on a dish on the floor along with some water in a bowl. As she set it down, her grandfather clock that she had bought as a house warming present chimed. "Aww Sh…. Shoot!" Izura yelled scrambling to pull on her academy uniform. When she had, she ran out the door and called a goodbye to Masaomi as she locked the door. _A litter box… definitely gonna need one of those too…_ Izura thought as she ran down the street.

She had almost reached the Seireitei when she nearly collided with a fruit cart vendor. He swore as she ran on and shouted a hurried apology. She made it into the classroom just in time and sat in her seat. Sensei started immediately. "I want everyone to head out to the training are immediately. I am going to test you again," he left and the entire classroom rushed to follow behind quickly. When they got there he instructed Izura and Akiname to have a seat. For the next 2 hours he judged the other students on their Shakkahos, some were pretty good while others were pitiful. One boy in particular couldn't even perform the spell, and when Sensei looked at him with disapproval the boy snapped.

"I'll show you! When we get our practice swords I am going to be the best swordsman in the class. I don't need kido spells to show how strong I am, just my skill and brute strength." Izura was worried about what would happen to him after that rude outburst, but was surprised to see the flicker of an amused smile on Sensei's face (which he quickly hid).

"I guess we'll just have to see then, won't we?" and he continued on. When everyone was finished he called them together.

"I am going to call out some names. If I call your name go back to the classroom and wait for me. Izura Lee. Akiname Ise. Gokun Lirte…" he continued calling names as Izura and Akiname left. _I wonder if he is going to start eliminating students from the class…_

"I wonder if he is eliminating students" Akiname voiced her thoughts.

"I was just thinking the same thing, but at least we are still here." She replied.

They walked on in silence and sat in the classroom for 10 minutes while more of their classmates trickled in. Eventually Sensei walked in, but only half of their class had returned. He cleared his throat then looked them all over.

"You have all just survived my first purge. You…" He said, gesturing to the entire class. "**May** have what it takes to become soul reapers. Now, I have a present for all of you." Sensei turned and walked into the office that was behind the lecture podium. When he returned he had an old wooden case in his arms. He set it down carefully and opened the well-kept hinges.

"This case has been around since before Head Captain Yamamoto's birth in the world of the living. Inside of it are your wooden training swords. They don't exactly resemble zonpaktos, but they will never break. Each of you will be in charge of your training swords until I deem you ready to handle a real zonpakto." He called each student down and handed them a sword.

When it was Izura's turn, she grasped hers, and Sensei whispered "Keep up the good work and it won't be long until you hold a real zonpakto." Then he released the sword. She tied the scabbard straps around her waist then returned to her seat. The last one to receive a sword was the boy from earlier who hadn't been able to perform the kido spell. _Maybe he has what it takes to be in squad 11… They don't use Kido._ Izura thought to herself. As the boy went back to his seat, Izura saw a triumphant smile on his lips, just wishing to burst forth.

Sensei immediately jumped into a lecture on how to maintain the wooden swords and a few basic moves for them to practice over the weekend (which Izura still didn't understand why they had started classes on a Thursday), then dismissed them.

"I really hope that Masaomi didn't destroy the house while I was gone." she said to herself as she walked home. She managed to find a pet supply store and bought food and a litter box then headed home once again. It was only 3 pm when she had left the academy but she had walked slowly on the way home. It was almost 6 pm when she got there, and the sun was tuning the sky intense reds and purples. Masaomi was asleep on her bed and it didn't appear like he had left any surprises anywhere. She set up his litter box in the bathroom and then laid out some food for him.

Izura felt like having sweet egg sushi for dinner, so she started frying eggs and cooking rice. When they were done she ate them quickly with a little soy sauce then changed for bed. _I'm exhausted. _She thought as she flopped onto her bed. It had been a long day and she really just wanted to get some sleep. Masaomi curled up next to her and she quickly fell asleep.

_Izura stood in a yard looking over a body in a pool of blood. She couldn't see its face… a woman and a man kneeled beside it crying. A ghostly wail sounded in the distance, followed by more and more wails. Soul reapers ran though the tree tops towards the sounds, a female with black hair and a male with orange hair. The male stopped and looked back at Izura and said something, but Izura couldn't hear him. "What?" she called, but they had already disappeared. She was going to follow when something grabbed her leg. Izura looked down and screamed. The body had dragged itself over to where she stood and was grasping her ankle. Izura still couldn't see its face, but there was something horrifyingly familiar about it… _Izura woke with a scream, startling Masaomi into running away. "A dream…" she panted out between gasps. She lay back down, and realized that she could no longer remember how she had come to be here. Life, or whatever this was, would never be the same.

At class on Monday, Sensei paired them up in the training arena. Izura hadn't really practiced the moves, and really hoped that she had a partner who had done the same so she wouldn't get beat up. Izura's partner was easily 6 feet tall, already causing Izura some discomfort. She had spiky shoulder length hair and Izura faintly remembered hearing a rumor that she was quick to anger and a bit of a rough and tumble kind of gal. _Great, just my luck. _Sensei went around and designated each person in the pairs as offense or defense. When he said switch, they would swap rolls. The sun crept directly above them, and then Sensei called "Begin!"

Izura was defense first, and she managed to get up a proper block as the other girl quickly performed a series of basic slices. When Izura had blocked them all, the girl quickly changed tactics and brought the sword down towards Izura's head. Izura attempted to block, but both swords hit her right shoulder. She didn't cry out, but it did hurt.

"SWITCH" _Heh, now it's my turn._ Izura tried for finesse rather than brute strength and succeeded for the most part. The girl twisted at one point and when Izura followed she was met with the sun shining in her eyes. The girl smacked Izura's wrist, but she didn't lose her sword. She twisted around the larger girl and forced her to face the light, then slammed her in the side with her practice sword.

"Finish!" Sensei called. "Some of you did very well, others will have another chance to redeem themselves before my second elimination… Now, head back to the classroom for a lecture on swordsmanship. Izura Lee and Yuria Kouruo stay."

Izura's blood ran cold when he called her name, but she stayed where she was. The girl who had been her partner remained as well. When the whole class had left, Sensei raised an eyebrow. "You both realize that this was just a practice exercise right? I am all for seriousness in advancement of studies, but the two of you are bleeding."

For the first time, Izura realized that it was blood and not sweat that was running down the side of her head from when the sword had grazed her head before hitting her shoulder. Her opponent, Yuria, had blood welling from where Izura had hit her last. "You both exhibited some intense battling, but try to not kill your classmate during the next exercise. Am I understood?"

Both girls replied yes, and then Sensei excused them to the infirmary. "When you have been treated you can go home and rest. I want you to be ready for tomorrow's drills, and be sure to get the lecture info from a classmate."

Izura and Yuria left the arena in silence. Izura felt bad about making her bleed, and so attempted to make amends. "I'm really sorry about that… I didn't mean to break the skin." The other girl stopped and looked at Izura.

"Why not? That was a battle, I could have killed you. When soul reapers are in the field, there is no mercy, because a hollow definitely isn't going to show you any. Grow a backbone before our next fight, I want it to be every bit as intense as this one was." And then she stalked off. _Ok… psycho. I get what she is saying though…_ When Izura got to the Infirmary, Yuria wasn't there. The nurse tended to her wound and soon she felt as good as she had that morning.


	7. Terrifying Encounters

Chapter 6: Terrifying Encounters

At the end of week one the class had been purged down to 30 students. Sensei began to pick up the pace, and Izura's head was so full of kido spells and sword techniques that she thought her head was going to explode. It was the weekend and Izura wanted to practice a few of her trickier sword techniques. She wandered into the bamboo forest behind her house and from there into a deciduous forest. She found a clearing with a stream and little pink meadow flowers to practice in. Izura unsheathed her training sword then began a series of basic moves as a warm up. As she moved from side to side, song birds sung a chorus above her head. Soon Izura moved into more complicated moves and combinations, causing her to lose track of time and the world around her. After a while she felt dizzy and decided it was time for a rest. She sat on a large boulder next to the stream and drank some of its cool water. The bento box Izura had brought for lunch began to beckon her gowling stomach, so she gave in and ate the Lo Mein noodles she had made the night before to go with her sushi. When she had finished eating, Izura felt extremely peaceful despite the sweat pouring off of her face and stretched out on the boulder for a nap.

When Izura woke up, she knew something was wrong. She had a familiar, deep and chilling sense that something was coming. She scrambled off of the boulder and faced the direction of the sensation. Izura even drew her training sword, even though she knew it wasn't going to help in the slightest. She curled her fingers around the hilt and gathered her courage as the ground began to shake. Something enormous crashed through the trees and each footstep caused the ground to shake. On the horizon and above the tree line the monstrous Hollow appeared. It was black with spikes that jutted out around what Izura guessed was its neck like a collar. Its white mask had a pointy nose.

"A Menos Grande" Izura whispered as the Hollow took another step towards her. _I can't handle a regular Hollow, let alone a Menos Grande!_

She remembered the lecture where Sensei had discussed the different classes of Hollows, but she couldn't remember the details. _Can I die a second time?_ The Hollow was within yards of Izura now, and she had to think quickly. _I'm not going to be able to do any damage! Where are the __**REAL**__ soul reapers?_ Izura thought in a panic, then made up her mind. She jumped into the trees and faced the Menos. It hadn't seen her yet, so it wouldn't strike first.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!" Izura said and sent an energy blast at its head. She waited for the smoke to clear, hoping that it had done something, anything! The Hollow let out a ghostly wail and continued on unfazed. It shot a cero blast in the direction of where she had been, but Izura had already moved several yards to the right.

_That was to be expected… But I have to think… Think!_ _What kido spells do I know that could help… wait… what was that bakudo that paralyzes… number 9? Yea, Geki… _Izura had ever used that spell, but she had to try. She was about to perform the kido when the soul reapers finally appeared. One stood out to her as he swung his bladed spear for the kill, his bald head shining in the sun.

"Ikkaku!" Izura happily exclaimed as the Menos dissipated. She was about to head home when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Izzie, is that you?" The sweet voice behind her asked.

Izura turned around, asking "Yachiru?"

The small girl smiled and greeted her with a "Hiya!" Then she asked "What are you doing here? Kenny and I were bored so we came to watch the fight." Indicating squad 11's Captain on the ground below them. Izura had almost forgotten that she was in a tree.

"I was practicing my sword skills in a clearing nearby when the Menos appeared. I tried to slow it down, but without a real zonpakto and my weak skills of a trainee I knew I wouldn't have an effect…" Izura explained.

Yachiru giggled, causing Izura to feel a little taken aback. "Silly Izzie, you did fine. And the fact that you decided to stay and fight rather than run shows how great of a soul reaper you will one day become." She replied. She patted Izura's hand with a smile then jumped off the branch and onto Kenpachi's shoulder. "See you again real soon, Izzie. You should come visit sometime!" And then the Captain and Lieutenant disappeared.

Izura stood for another moment then headed home. The sun had set, and the twilight glow that settled on the landscape was soothing. Izura had always loved nighttime; it left her feeling rejuvenated and alive. The streets were emptying out as families headed home for dinner and vendors closed up shop. Izura did notice that the thugs and bums were starting to wander out, but she ignored them knowing full well that she could handle herself.

As she watched the moon rise, she wondered how far she could go as a soul reaper. _Could I become a Lieutenant, or even a Captain?_ As she entered her house and got ready for bed she thought about the possibilities. _I definitely wouldn't get a position handed to me, but with some had work…._ Then Izura thought about having a family_. I have always wanted one, but it's not like I have anyone interested in me…. And I don't even know where _he_ is anymore… I lost track of him after I… oh yea… I'm dead. I think… was he even real? _Izura sat at the kotetsu and ate some instant ramen. _How old am I anyways? I think I'm 20… If I'm really dead… I think I died when I was 17, but time is different here… I could have a family, if dead people can reproduce. But who would I… _Izura shook her head. It was true that she found him charming, but he probably had no feelings for her. She threw the rest of her ramen and her bowl in the sink with a clash and went to bed. Izura had always wanted a family… but now… She didn't think that could ever happen.

She went through the motions of every day with a little more enthusiasm than before. She would have breakfast, go to class, have lunch with Akiname and their friends, go through drills, and then go home around dinner time. Then came the day that Sensei announced it was the day of his final elimination.

"When your name is called, enter my office." He went to enter the door and called out "Izura Lee".

Her stomach stiffened and felt like it was full of Hell butterflies, but she got up and walked down to the office door. She grasped the handle of the door and opened it with one last look at Akiname who gave her an encouraging smile, then walked inside.


	8. Bleeding Star

Chapter 7: Bleeding Star

Izura was surprised to find that she stood in an office. There was a desk with papers spread on it in organized chaos. The whole left wall was made of windows, floor to ceiling. The shades were drawn, but Izura could see outside through the slits.

"It's just an office." Her sensei explained in a bored tone when he saw her reaction.

"A nice office… I always thought that this was a storage closet or something." She replied.

"No, this is just my office. Now, here is your final test. If you pass, you will receive your zonpakto."

Izura was shocked. _I am so close to becoming a real soul reaper! I made it!_ Sensei indicated a pattern on the floor. It was a circle with arrows like a compass, except they pointed in. Between each arrow was a line that crossed in the middle creating an "X". "Step inside and unsheathe you training sword." He instructed.

Izura did as he asked then waited, confused. "Hold it out in front of you with both hands and assume you're fighting stance."

She did as he asked again as Sensei pulled a dark green glove onto his left hand. It had a hell butterfly embroidered on the back of his hand. He began a low chant that Izura didn't understand, and the pattern below her feet began to glow bright green, slowly getting brighter as the chanting sped up. Izura felt lulled by the tempo and was caught off guard when the chanting suddenly stopped. Then she felt an electric shock go through her as Sensei's gloved hand came in contact with her forehead. Izura's vision went white, then darkened until she could see where she was.

Izura stood in the middle of a darkened forest, and the only light came from the full moon directly above her. Around her was a small circular clearing, and standing across from her was what she believed to be a ninja. She wore a tight fishnet tube top with a blood red jacket that only covered the top half of her torso, and was left unzipped. Its sleeves ended at her elbows where the cuffs were rolled up. Her delicate hands had fishnet gloves on with open fingers. She also wore a pair of short shorts that were the same color as her jacket. Her legs were also covered in fish net leggings and ended halfway down her calf where her black boots began. The ninja had ginger colored hair that was pulled into a long ponytail that traveled over halfway down her back. Her bangs were angled and cut to reside over her left eye and droop to her jawline. The eye that Izura could see was a shade darker than the ninja's clothes. She looked to be about Izura's age (or what Izura estimated she was, 20). The ninja also had a belt around her right leg with a few different compartments.

The ninja sized Izura up, then said "I've been waiting for you. You don't look like much right now… but I think that you and I are going to get along just fine."

Izura didn't know what it was, but she liked the ninja. Something about her appealed to Izura's inner senses. "I am Izura, are you my zonpakto?"

"I am. Whenever you need me you can summon me by calling out my name, Hoshi Shukketsu, preceded by my summons call, 'Fall to the Earth'. I look forward to aiding you in the future…"

White light took over her vision again, then Izura was back in the office. The training sword in her hands grew hot even though it was wood. It began to crackle and the wood burned away, revealing a light katana in her hands. The hilt was red and had golden string crisscrossing across it. Izura smirked and called out "Fall to the Earth, _Hoshi Shukketsu_."

Izura loved the way that the name felt on her lips. Her zonpakto glowed, then the blade broke into 5 ninja throwing stars. They began slowly rotating around her as she held the hilt out, a red sheen shining off of them where the light from the ceiling hit them.

Hoshi Shukketsu's voice whispered in her mind _"You can control me through your will power, just think it, and I will do it."_

Izura looked at her Sensei and imagined the stars circling around him, and they immediately changed path to circle him. Izura called them back into her hilt, reconstructing the sword, then sheathed the zonpakto.

"Congratulations, you have passed. Your zonpakto agrees that you should continue on to become a soul reaper and has awakened. Please send in Akiname Ise." Her Sensei praised her, then sent her on her way.

She exited the office then announced Akiname's name. As he passed her on the way down he whispered "Sweet sword" without stopping. Izura smiled as she continued on to her seat. As she sat in her seat, she felt the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. When she looked up, every pair of eyes in the room quickly averted to some other part of the room. It was awkward and flattering at the same time. After a while Akiname returned with his own sword and called in the next student, a timid and shy girl. Students came and went, some with swords and some without. Those who returned without zonpaktos quickly left the classroom. When the last student returned, so did their Sensei.

"You are the best of the best rookies. It is only going to get tougher from here, but I have faith in your abilities. We have one month until graduation and I have to prepare you for what is to come. I'm going to release you for today, but be ready for anything tomorrow. And remember, keep your zonpaktos confidential…"

As Izura left she held her left hand on the hilt of her zonpakto. "I think we'll go far, Hoshi Shukketsu. Believe it!" She said, quoting another one of her favorite anime. Izura didn't want to practice, but she didn't want to go home either. She wandered the Seireitei for a while, and eventually found herself outside the squad 11 barracks. The sun was shining and a light breeze ruffled her kimono.

"What am I doing here…" Izura thought aloud as she turned to leave.

"Hey Izura! Izura! You just got here, why don't you stay awhile?" A familiar voice came from inside the barracks as Ikkaku jumped down next to her from the top of the wall surrounding the barracks.

"Huh? Oh, hi Ikkaku! How are you?" she replied after she recovered from the surprise of her friend dropping down beside her.

"I'm fine. Hey, that's your zonpakto right? You wanna have a friendly spar? It would be fun… unless... you're scared." He said with his devilish grin. "Besides, I think that the others would love to see you and your new sword too."

Izura returned the grin and replied "You're on, Ikkaku."

A few minutes later they were surrounded by the rest of the squad in the courtyard. Izura stood facing Ikkaku with her zonpakto drawn. The squad jeered at her, making comments on how an academy student would never beat their 3rd seat. Izura didn't mind, she knew they were right, but she was going to have fun with the challenge set before her. Izura struck first, lunging at Ikkaku. He dodged and called out his shikai. "Extend, Hōzukimaru!" The blade and hilt merged and transformed quickly into a long staff with a blade at the end. "Fall to the Earth, Hoshi Shukketsu!" Izura called as her own shikai awakened.

Ikkaku grinned and said "Sweet name, bleeding star… it suits you!" and then he advanced. He stabbed at her multiple times and pretty quickly, only her flash step gave her the speed to dodge. "You should work on that flash step there, Izura. You're so…. Slow!" He stabbed at her again and just nearly missed gazing her arm with the blade. As it retracted, she realized that he did it on purpose and wasn't intending on hurting her. She sent Hoshi Shukketsu's shuriken around him then started shooting them in at different directions as fast as she could. He deflected them all, then laughed.

"Good, but not… enough!" As he swung his staff around 360 degrees and sent the stars cashing to the ground. "Time to end this", he said as he used flash step to get close and startle Izura, then he smacked the back of her knees with the staff and sent her to the ground.

"Alright, I give!" she laughed as he put his foot on her back and held Hōzukimaru with its blunt end in the dirt. The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter at the scene before them. He laughed too then helped her up.

"Next time it will be much harder to fight you and win" he remarked as they left the group and sheathed their swords. When they were farther away he asked "Hey, a couple of the guys and I are going out for sake tonight, would you want to come? It'll be my treat, seeing as how today is a celebration of you getting your zonpakto."

Izura thought it over, was she even legal drinking age? Did that apply to the dead? She decided that she didn't care. "I would love to, I need a night out. Who are we meeting, Yumichika?" she asked.

"No, he almost never drinks. We're meeting up with the lieutenants of squads 3,6,7, and 10. Do you want to go now, or do you want to change?" He asked, looking over the dusty mess he had made of her academy kimono.

"That might be a good idea… Do you want me to meet you back here?" she replied.

The sun was going down, and Ikkaku replied "Nah, I'll come pick you up, it's getting dark. Is 30 minutes good enough?"

"Yea, see you then… Oh, and Ikkaku?" she replied.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for the spar, it was fun." Izura said, then kissed him on the cheek. He became surprised and blushed bright red. He tried to say something, but Izura was already hurrying away, up and over the wall of the barracks. _I really just did that…_ she thought. _Well, we'll see what happens next when he comes to get me_. She blushed as she thought about it. He probably didn't feel that way about her in the least, but that was the way she felt. She certainly wouldn't push it though; the ball was I his court now.

A half hour later there was a knock on her door. Izura had changed into her kimono with the koi and was tying her hair up with a blue ribbon. "Coming!" she shouted and ran for the door, almost tripping over Masaomi. She opened the door to find Ikkaku, still in his soul reaper kimono. He got startled as the door swung open suddenly, then blushed when he saw Izura. He shoved a bouquet of flowers in her hands and turned to face the street.

"Are… Are you ready to go?" Izura sniffed the flowers, an assortment of pink and white carnations, then blushed with happiness.

"Yea." She placed the flowers in the kitchen then left with Ikkaku. He led her down softly lit streets to a small saki bar named Soul Sushi. They sat at a table in a corner and waited for the others to show up. Almost immediately after they had been seated they showed up. Ikkaku introduced them as they arrived.

"This is Izuru Kira, squad 3 lieutenant. His name is similar to yours." He looked eternally depressed not only because of his facial expression, but also because of his bangs that hung over his left eye, like Akiname's but longer. "This is squad 6 Lieutenant Renji Abarai." The tired looking Lieutenant was hot, Izura thought, but she had already committed herself to Ikkaku. That was what she had decided as she changed into her kimono before he showed up. "Iba Tetsuzaemon, squad 7… I'm going to drink the most tonight Tetsuzaemon!" Ikkaku challenged.

"You can't hold your liquor as well as I can Ikkaku, don't commit yourself to something you can't do." Tetsuzaemon retorted. He was easily the oldest in the group, and wore sunglasses even though it was night time and they were inside.

"And I am Rangiku Matsumoto, Lieutenant of squad 10!" A voice announced from behind Izura. When she turned, she was confronted by a giant set of boobs in her face. The older woman's uniform was situated so her oversized cleavage popped out. Izura didn't get surprised, but she wondered how they got so… BIG. Rangiku sat beside Izura, who also sat next to Ikkaku. A waiter brought over some sushi plates and saki, then Ikkaku filled everyone's glasses. When he had filled his own, he stood and raised his glass.  
>"I would like to toast Izura, for obtaining her zonpakto today!" The others stood up as well and they all shouted "To IZURA!" They quickly downed their shots and sat back down. Everyone else in the restaurant was looking at them then, but quickly became bored and went back to their drinks and dinners. Izura looked at the clear liquid in her saucer-like cup and swished it around. <em>Eh, what the heck, it won't kill me…<em> she thought, and then downed the shot. It burned her mouth and her throat and tasted like nothing she had ever drunk before. She quickly became dizzy, and ate some sushi to hopefully absorb some of the alcohol. Ambitious enough to try and keep up with Ikkaku and Tetsuzaemon (who now had their own jugs for a chugging contest), she filled her cup again and downed it. Beside her, Rangiku and Izuru were becoming drunk as well. Rangiku was hanging on Izuru as he started to cry about something related to being a lieutenant without a captain. Renji drank his own cup of saki as he jested with the Lieutenants of squads 7 and 11, but didn't join in or get nearly as drunk as the other 2. Izura was pouring her 4th shot of saki when Rangiku grabbed her boobs and squeezed, causing her to yelp and spill saki all over herself.

"Hey Izura ~ Have you been drinking you milk? These girls are kinda small…" Rangiku remarked.

"Of course I am! They just won't grow ~" Izura whined. Nobody would care anymore if she did right? "How do you do it, Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

"You can call me Rangiku. And ~"

It was then that Ikkaku came over and sat between them. He was obviously drunk from the now empty jug of saki that he put on the table. He put his arm around Izura's shoulders and looked at Rangiku. "Rangiku, leave her alone. Not everyone has giant boobs like you do, and Izura's are a pretty good size anyways. Like… grapefruits. Yup, I'd say they are about the size of grapefruit." Ikkaku remarked. This caused Izura to blush a deeper red, even though her face was already pink from the saki.

"You… you don't think that they are too… small?" she asked in a low voice.

"NO!" he replied, rocking backwards to grab another jug of saki off of a waiters tray. He poured saki into Izura's glass until it overflowed then said "Drink up, Izura! The night is just beginning!"

Izura downed her 4th shot, then joined Rangiku in chasing Izuru around the bar. "Now look what you've done, Ikkaku." Renji remarked as they tackled him and Rangiku tried to disrobe him. "Maybe you should bring her home now."

"Yea, I guess so. Catch you guys later ~" Ikkaku hiccupped as he stood and picked up Izura like a princess. "Let's go Izura; you have class tomorrow don't you?"

"Awwww… yea, I do… But I wanna hang with Rangiku Onee-sama a little longer ~" She whined as he started to leave the bar.

"Come out with us again soon!" Rangiku called after them as they left the building.

Ikkaku used flash step once they were outside. Izura giggled as she felt the exhilaration of speed, nodding off to sleep in his arms. It felt warm and safe, and he smelled nice. _Only for a minute_… she thought as she drifted off to sleep. Ikkaku looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. He had only known her for about a year, but he couldn't get her off his mind. He was constantly worried that she was going to get hurt at the academy, never mind when she graduated and started going after Hollows. He wanted to protect her. It had been a big shock when she had kissed his cheek that afternoon; he had never expected that she felt the same. _I want to watch over her…_ he thought, as he arrived at her front door. Ikkaku opened the front door and laughed. _Silly girl, I really hope you lock it when you are sleeping…_ he thought as he laid her on her bed. He was really tired, but Ikkaku knew that he really should get back to the barracks. He sat against the far wall near the door and watched her sleep for a few minutes; she was so cute when she slept. She rolled over as if she was going to look at him, and smiled in her sleep. "Ikkaku…" she whispered, and she clutched the blankets close to her face. The remark startled him, and he stood up. _I have to go now… Or else…_


	9. Final Frustrations

Chapter 8: Final Frustrations

Izura awoke with a headache that was almost incapacitating. She looked around the room trying to figure out where she was. _My room? How did I get here?_ The sun began to peek through the window as she tried to remember what happened the night before and why she was still in her kimono… Then it hit her like a train. She had kissed Ikkaku on the cheek, he brought he flowers, they had gone to the bar, she had gotten hopelessly drunk, then…. Nothing. She couldn't remember anything else.

"I really hope I didn't do anything overly stupid" she said as she tried to find her clock that she kept by the bed. It was buzzing, but where was it? She threw her pillows against the wall and ripped her blankets off the bed and finally found it in a pillow case. _Why the hell was it there? Wait… what time is it?_

"OH SHIT!" she yelled jumping off her bed and disrobing. Class had started an hour ago; Sensei was going to be angry with her. She got into her academy uniform then realized that it was still dirty from the spar the day before. _I can't worry about this now!_ She thought as she ran out the front door, leaving behind an irate and hungry Masaomi who mewed defiantly. _I'll come home during the lunch break to feed you!_ She promised, then used her flash step to gain some speed.

When she arrived, Sensei gave her a weird look. "It's not like you to be late, Izura. Take a seat, we'll talk later." He said, and then continued on a lecture about the best way to kill Hollows quickly. Izura sat and greeted Akiname, then dove into note taking. Akiname slid a copy of his notes on the earlier lecture about the basics of zonpakto familiars and shikai releases over to her. "Thank you so much" she mouthed, and Akiname winked. The headache was still there, and came back with a vengeance while she listened to Sensei's lectures. It was had to concentrate, but she tried to bear with it. At lunch she returned as promised to feed Masaomi, who had eaten one of her koi fish. She was a little frustrated, but knew it was her fault. She gave him some fish from the fridge and returned to class. She sat through another few lectures, including one on the procedures of realizing ones bankai form. Akiname was visibly worried about her, but they didn't have a chance to talk. After the class was dismissed, Sensei called Izura into his office. He had he sit in a chair, and then he sat at his desk.

"So what happened today, Miss Izura Lee?" He asked. He interlaced his fingers and held both hands on the desk. Izura was embarrassed, but she decided to tell him the truth.

"I was out late last night with Ikkaku Madarame and some of the other Lieutenants. I've been friends with Ikkaku for a while, and we were going out to celebrate my zonpakto. I drank a little too much saki and paid for it this morning with a hangover and, regrettably, being late for class. I apologize, Sensei." She finished, bowing her head.

He sat quietly for a minute, his expression soft. He shook his head, then sighed. "At least you are all right, just don't make habit of it. Remember, graduation is a week away. Get the notes from someone so that you know what was discussed this morning…." He paused. "So you're 'in' with some of the Lieutenants, eh? That can be advantageous for your future as a soul reaper. Just make sure that you stay on their good side…. Anyways, go home and get some sleep. The rest of the week is going to fly by, and you are going to want to be ready."

The day before graduation Izura went out with Ikkaku to a local Zen garden. She was nervous, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. They were going out as… friends… _close_, friends. They walked amongst some cherry blossom trees and eventually sat at a bench. Izura gazed at the swirling pattern of the sand around the rocks, not quite sure what to say to the man she loved. He probably didn't even feel the same. Eventually Ikkaku spoke up.

"What squad do you think that you will be in tomorrow?" he asked, gazing at the sun through the branches of the cherry blossom tree. He had his arms out along the entire back of the bench, and looked entirely relaxed. A look of serenity had crept into his features. It kind of looked out of place on the older warrior who always looked like he was looking for a fight. Izura contemplated his question.

"I probably won't be put in squads 4 or 12. I'm not handy in the fields of medicine or intelligence. And unfortunately, I probably won't be put in 11 since I can do kido pretty well. I'm not very stealthy either, so I won't be put in 2…" She sighed. "I just don't know."

Ikkaku remained quiet. He seemed to be battling with something internally. Izura wanted to steer the conversation, but didn't know what to talk about. She let her mind wander to the squads without captains, squads 3, 5, and 9. Ever since Sosuke Aizen, the ex-Captain of squad 5, had committed treason and escaped to Hueco Mundo (land of the Hollows) with the Hokyoku (an object that Izura knew nothing of) with the assistance of Gin Ichimaru (squad 3) and Kaname Tousen (squad 9), the 3 squads had been under the guidance of the lieutenants. Apparently, she had heard rumors that Aizen wanted to create an Oken (key to the dimension of the spirit king). _No wonder Izuru is always depressed._ Izura remarked, it must be hard, handling an entire squad whose captain had deferred. In Izura's opinion, Shuhei Hisagi (Lieutenant of squad 9), should become captain, and have a new Lieutenant from the squad assigned or appointed. Izuru could probably handle squad 3 as well, but he needed a little more confidence in himself. Then there was Momo Hinamori. The female Lieutenant had been recovering slowly since Aizen's betrayal, and had seemed to have a deep love for her Captain. Personally, she disgusted Izura. It was fine that she was upset that her captain had disappeared and betrayed them, but there was a squad and other people who needed her. She didn't have time to feel sorry for herself; the ass had betrayed them a long while ago!

"Che," Izura unknowingly made the sound out loud. Her annoyance had crept onto her features and Ikkaku noticed.

"Hey, is everything all right? Am I boring you?" He asked in a dismayed tone.

Izura blushed and waved he hands in front of her as if to erase what she had said. "No! No, no, no… I was just thinking about something and it made me aggravated… I probably shouldn't have worried about it…. But… I don't know."

Ikkaku was confused, so he asked "What are you thinking about?" out of curiosity.

Izura inhaled deeply and exhaled, unsure if she should tell him. If she loved him, she should trust him…. Right? "The squads without Captains, and Momo Hinamori." Then she explained further what she had thought about. Ikkaku listened, looking thoughtful. When she finished he looked over at her.

"You are allowed to have your own opinion. I think that you have a good idea, personally… What would you do if you were put I any of those squads?"

"I would probably try to advance as far as I could go in the seated positions. If it was squads 3 or 9, I probably wouldn't challenge the Lieutenants, but I don't think Momo should be in charge of squad 5… I don't know if I would challenge her." She replied. _I am getting agitated again…_ she thought.

Ikkaku let out a short laugh. "You get so cute when you're mad," he observed. He stood up and faced her. Izura was a little dismayed. _Cute? He called me 'cute'?_

"What do you mean, _I'm cute when I am mad_?" Izura challenged. He held his hand out for hers without any emotion on his face; it was clear as the water in a pond. She took it, and he pulled her up into an embrace. At first she was completely surprised. Her heart rate sped up, and she could feel a fierce blush creeping onto her face and ears. She could feel her pounding heart, and worried that he could hear it, or even _feel_ it. She slowly slid her hands out from between them and under his arms so that she could hold onto him as well. He was so warm… and he smelled so comforting… Like a forest in the fall. He held her tight, one hand in the small of her back, the other holding her head to his chest.

"Izura…." He said in probably the tenderest voice he had ever used. He said her name like it was a treasure to be held dearly. "I want you to know, that no matter what happens tomorrow, I will be there for you. I will do my best to protect you always. Izura… I…" Izura's heart was pounding so hard now; it was hard to imagine that he couldn't feel it. _Is he… confessing his love to me?_

"I love you, Izura. The day I met you, you captivated me. You are strong, but still feminine. You are beautiful in every way. I love the way you laugh, and don't take it personally when you lose a friendly spar." he looked away, unsure of how to proceed. _What about that anime I watched the other night? Can I ad lib him a little? I hope I don't sound too corny…_ "I always think about you. 'Is she ok?' 'Will she be okay when it comes time to fight Hollows?' I'm sure you'll be fine, but it is nerve racking. Then the other day, you kissed me after that spar. I don't know if you were serious, but this is how I feel."

He waited, giving Izura time to respond. She squeezed him tight, relieved. She talked into his kimono as loudly as she could. "I thought… that you would never feel that way about me… That I was alone in this…" She squeezed him tighter. "Ikkaku… When you watched over me… At first I was really worried that you had raped me. Seriously. No lie. But then, as we ran through the streets in the rain, I knew that you were the one I wanted to be with. You are always yourself, and I really like that about you. You are also strong, stronger than I will ever be, but you can also be gentle. I don't think that anyone else would watch over some girl who had passed out in a dirty alley and not rape them." She said the last part half-jokingly. "I love you… I love you so very much…." She replied. Tears of happiness and relief welled up in her eyes as she finished proclaiming her love for the one man she had ever loved and cared for this way.

Ikkaku felt his kimono getting wet, so he released her and looked down into her tear filled eyes. _What? Why is she crying? What did I say?_ He thought. "Why are you crying?" She laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm crying… because I am happy." She said smiling at up at him. _Of course you would…_ He thought to himself. _Well, now is the time, or never_. He cupped her chin and brought his face close to hers, breathing in her sweet scent, like Lilacs in the spring. Izura looked up at him with a nervous, mixed expression of trust and love, and that was all he needed to push forward.

Their lips connected and it shot a jolt of electricity through Izura. His mouth was forceful against her own, but gentle at the same time. She rose to meet him, wanting their first kiss to last forever. They broke for air briefly, and then Izura initiated the next one. This time, she felt an unfamiliar pressure against her mouth. She opened it just a little bit and felt his tongue creep inside her mouth. Ikkaku explored her mouth, hoping he hadn't gone too far. She tasted sweet, and it only made him want her more. As his tongue glided past hers, Izura noticed that he was like a hint of mint tea. When he finally retreated from her mouth it left her feeling intoxicated and a little drowsy.

Ikkaku scooped her up like he had when they went to the bar that night. "You need to pack right? I'll bring you home." He was reluctant to leave her, but he knew she had things she needed to do. His flash step got them there quickly, and he set her on the front step of her house. "Make sure you get some sleep, it's a big day tomorrow." He was about to leave when he felt her grab his shoulder. He turned his head to see her looking a bit unsure but determined.

Izura felt that it was wrong to just let him leave like that. She walked around to face him hugged him. "Thank you. I had a nice time today…" Ikkaku smiled and ruffled her hair. _She is so cute sometimes._ He kissed the top of her head then opened the door. "Go on ahead and get ready, I'll take you out to the bar tomorrow with everyone again." Izura nodded, feeling a little bit better. Ikkaku left her then and she shut the door. Masaomi was napping on the kotetsu and everything was quiet. With one last look at the closed door, she began to pack her things.


	10. Squad, Sweet, Squad?

Ok, so for anyone who follows the anime or manga, I understand that my timing is probably a little screwy and whatnot, but please bear with me. I don't plan on following the real timeline to a T. With that in mind, I decided that Izura died around the time that Ichigo first became a soul reaper (Yes I know I said Rukia was wearing a soul reaper kimono too.) and is now graduating around the time of the bount arc. I apologize for any confusion; blame it on this weird time distortion that I believe happens between the world of the living and the soul society. Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Squad, Sweet, Squad?

"Class, in 5 hours you will be graduating and being placed in squads. During the next 5 hours you have one final activity to place you in a real situation. Assisting me today is Ikkaku Madarame of squad 11; give him your full attention." Sensei announced at class the next morning.

At Ikkaku's name, Izura's head snapped up from the desk. Akiname gave her questioning looks, but she ignored them. Why is Ikkaku here? What are we doing? Izura thought to herself as she analyzed her Sensei and boyfriend for any clues. Her Sensei was devoid of anything except stoicism, which didn't really surprise her. Ikkaku looked annoyed to be there, like he had been forced into the classroom by a chain. He stood at the front of the class, sizing all 30 of them up. His face never changed from person to person. When he finally got to Izura he looked at her a little longer, like he was searching for something, and then continued on.

"Today, you are going to show us how far your skills go in the field." Ikkaku started with a look of utter boredom_. I shouldn't be babysitting a bunch of rookies; I have better things to do… At least I can keep an eye on_ her_…._ He thought. "I am going to lead you into a controlled area where there are a total of 5 Hollows loose. You are to locate them, communicate with your classmates, and eliminate them. Depending on how well you perform, it will decide which squad you are best suited to. If you are ready, come with me." He finished. A door appeared behind him and he walked through.

Izura ran down the aisle and through the door first, trying not to trip. Her classmates followed, but not nearly as quickly. As she burst forth on the other side, she collided with the back of her love. She fell and ended up sprawled on the ground. Ikkaku turned around slowly to see what hit him and pushed his palm to his forehead. "Of course it would be you…" He said with a mixture of emotions. As he picked her up of the ground, his thoughts went back to one simple fact. For the next five hours, he was going to be a nervous wreck over her well-being and trying to watch her every move. As he released her from his grasp the other students came through the portal followed by their Sensei.

Ikkaku moved away from her discreetly, but Izura still noticed. _Was everything yesterday just a dream fabricated by my mind? He's so standoffish today… It's like him, but not with me…._ Izura wondered as she assimilated into the group near Akiname. Ikkaku began without checking to see if they were all there. "I want you all to split into 5 groups of 6. Each group will be given a location to investigate for a Hollow. Find it as quickly as you can and destroy it. If other groups look like they need help, don't help them. That's what we are here for. If you don't follow directions…" He said with his dark look on his face. "You will answer to my Hōzukimaru. Pair up and come see either myself or your Sensei for a location."

Akiname immediately gathered 4 more of their classmates to form a team, then went to their Sensei for an assignment. Once he had the coordinates in hand, they set off. Izura looked back at Ikkaku one last time before they headed off. After she turned to follow, Ikkaku watched her leave. It killed him to let her go, but he had to take care of the other groups as well. As it was, he hadn't even told Yumichika about yesterday's events yet, and he was sure that Izura didn't want unwanted attention from her classmates.

The area that Izura's team had been assigned was similar to Karakura town. The group was comprised of Akiname, Izura, Yuria, and 3 other male students. As the group traveled from roof top to roof top they discussed where they thought spiritual pressure was coming from. It didn't take them long to find the monster. It looked like a giant centipede with human arms at the front and a human head. Its body was evergreen colored and its legs were orange. Yuria drew her zonpakutō, but Akiname held out his hand to stop her.

"We need a plan of attack first. If we all just go jumping in there on our own, someone's going to get hurt. None of us are trained well enough to handle it just yet, especially without the experience we are about to gain. Now here is a plan that I think will work…" Akiname discussed with the group. Izura listened, but kept most of her attention focused on the Hollow in the street below her. A feral feeling was welling up inside her chest, and all she wanted to do was kill. The mere sight of the centipede made her blood boil on her veins, though she had no idea why. Akiname was assigning positions when Izura drew her sword.

"Izura, what are you…. Izura!" Akiname called after her as she jumped off the roof of the building. She landed on the Hollows back with a crash, causing the monster to wail. It bucked, but Izura jumped off before it had enough momentum to send her flying. She circled it with flash step and stabbed at its side, causing a neon green ooze to overflow from the wound. _Rrrrrrroooooooooooowww…._ The thing cried before it swung its back end around and pinned Izura to a storefront window.

"Gahhh!" She cried as it crushed air from her lungs. She tried to move her arms, but the effort was futile.

"Izura!" Akiname cried from the rooftop. He issued orders to the other 3 students and they dispersed. When they reappeared, they were coming at the hollow from all sides and stabbing into it. It roared in annoyance and pain as it released Izura from the wall. She fell to the ground and gasped, trying to fill her lungs with air. _That was dumb… That was really, really, dumb… I might… die…._ She thought as the edge of her vision darkened. Akiname used one final attack to slice through the Hollows mask, killing it, when Ikkaku and Sensei appeared. Izura couldn't hear anything, but both her Sensei and boyfriend looked frantic as they stood over her. Ikkaku picked her up, and then everything went black.

"She isn't breathing!" Ikkaku said as he searched for a pulse and respiration rate.

"Tell me what happened." Sensei demanded of the other students. As Akiname retold his account of what happened, Ikkaku began to panic. _What the fuck were you thinking?... She needs air… I'll have to try CPR… I don't think there is another way._

"I am going to perform CPR; can you send a student for a member of squad 4?" Ikkaku asked the teacher as calmly as he could. He would not fall apart in front of these rookies and their teacher… Sensei nodded and sent one of the boys away. The boy that had been standing with Izura before, _… Akiname was his name?_ Ikkaku remembered, looked startled and agitated. _What's his problem?_ Ikkaku thought as he laid Izura down in the best position for CPR. He placed the heel of his hand on her chest (careful not to be above her sternum) and began doing compressions. At 30, he knelt down and covered her nose, then breathed into her mouth. Her chest rose, and he did another. After the second breathe, she coughed.

"Izura… Hey, Izura?" Ikkaku said gently as she came to. She looked dazed but recognized who was above her.

"Ikkaku. What… No. I remember." She said, trying to sit up. Ikkaku held her down.

"Don't get up, we sent for somebody to come and look at you." He replied. Sensei sensed the mood and directed the students away. Akiname started to say something when his Sensei interrupted.

"Ikkaku, can you stay with Izura? I am going to take these students back to the middle and then I am going to check on other groups." He said, ushering a defiant Akiname away.

"I'll stay with her, and then join you when the medic gets here." Ikkaku stated matter of factly. When they were out of sight he sighed. Izura looked up at him, to see a single tear on the left side of his face. His right eye was completely dry.

"Ikkaku?" She asked, wondering how only one eye could cry. Before she could ask what was wrong he had his lips crushed to hers. The kiss was gentle, but urgent, like he needed her to know how her actions had made him feel. He put one hand in her hair and the other helped keep him from falling on top of her. His left eye continued to tear up, causing droplets to fall on her cheeks. When he backed off, he looked away wiping his eye.

"Please… please don't do anything so recklessly stupid again." He said as he sat with his back against a wall. "You really scared me." He chuckled, as if trying to comfort himself that she was okay.

"Ikkaku… I'm sorry…" Izura whispered as tears began to fill her own eyes. She hadn't realized what it would do to him if she got hurt; she had never had anyone care for her like this before. "I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry…" she said again as she began to sob. She looked up to see Ikkaku looking down on her with the fading tendrils of fear and relief that she was ok.

"It's ok. You really did scare me though. Why did you choose to fight that Hollow the way you did?" He asked, running a hand over her curly brown hair.

"I… don't know. I had this… feeling… this bloodthirsty feeling… and it made me want to kill it with every fiber of my being. After that I just… moved." She confessed, feeling silly. _I have to suppress that part of me… after all this time, I can't allow it to come back…_ she thought. It was then that the medic arrived. The medic asked what happened, and after discussing the situation with Ikkaku, he began healing her.

"Will you be ok if I go check on the other groups?" Ikkaku asked, really wishing that he didn't have this obligation to deal with. Leaving her was going to take a lot of self-control…

"Yea, I understand. I'll see you later…" she replied, then watched as he left, knowing full well that it was taking all his strength to leave her there on the ground.

"Izura Lee." Head Captain Yamamoto called when it was her time to graduate. Izura walked up the aisle in the Captains Room to where he stood. On either side were the Captains of each squad with their Lieutenants (Except squads 3 and 9 who only had Izuru and Shuhei, and 5, who had a representative of the squad in place of the Lieutenant), as well as students who had already been placed in squads. Izura was now decked in her official soul reaper kimono and had Hoshi Shukketsu tied at her side. When she had reached the Head Captain, she kneeled on one knee and offered up her zonpakutō. As Captain Yamamoto took it, she suddenly felt nervous. _Today is the first day of the rest of my life…._ He raised the sword to stand vertically in front of his face.

"Izura Lee, today you have graduated from the soul reaper academy as second in your class. From here on, do you promise to uphold the law of the soul reapers and loyally serve your Lieutenant and myself for the greater good?" The Head Captain asked.

_Lieutenant, eh? So I am in 3, 5, or 9…._ "Yes, Head Captain Yamamoto, Sir." Izura replied like she had been taught.

"Then from this day forward, Izura Lee is an official soul reaper under the care of Momo Hinamori and squad 5. You are to be the 18th seated officer, which was decided through your skills and score on the 13 Court Guard Squads aptitude test that you took this past week. Complete your duties with sacrifice, humility and love, and you could raise to a higher seat." As the Head Captain finished, he tapped Izura's shoulders with Hoshi Shukketsu, then had her stand. He handed her back her zonpakutō, then waited until she had reached the representative of squad 5 before calling in the next student.

"Hi, my name is Kiren Hosura. I don't have a seat in the squad; all the seated members were on missions. And the Lieutenant wasn't feeling well today soooo… Here I am. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Izura." The tall boy said. Izura observed that he probably wasn't any older than she, and that he was very lanky. He smiled genuinely as he held out a hand to shake. Izura took his hand in greeting.

"Thank you for coming to greet me, Kiren. It's nice to meet you." Izura replied genuinely.

In no time the entrance for new soul reapers was over and Izura and Kiren were hurrying back to the squad 5 barracks. No other soul reapers were put in with Izura, so she was totally alone. Kiren brought her to her new apartment in the barracks then excused himself. All of Izura's things from her old house had arrived and waited in boxes in the entry way. Izura stepped around them and inspected her room. The entry way led into a living room with a couch, coffee table and TV. _SWEET!_ Izura thought, thinking of all the anime she would watch when she didn't have work to do. In the room next to the living room was a small kitchen with a table for one or two at most. Another door in the living room led into a bedroom with a walk in closet for her other sets of extraneous clothes and storage of things. Surprisingly, Masaomi was already in the house, chilling on her couch.

"You never cease to surprise me." She told the cat who mewed in reply. Izura set out his food and water then set to unpacking her things.


	11. First Date

Chapter 10: First Date

The next day Izura woke before the sun rose. Masaomi was sleeping on her bed, so she got up as carefully as she could. She opened the shades to her window and looked out. The buildings that made up the squad 5 barracks were muted in color, but that would change when the sun rose in a few minutes. Izura had a ground floor room so she couldn't see over the perimeter wall. While eggs sizzled in a pan, Izura wondered what she would do today. She would like to meet the Lieutenant and find out how the squad generally worked, even if Izura did have a low opinion of her. Izura threw some bacon in the pan with her eggs then got dressed in her kimono. She pulled her breakfast out of the pan and ate it quickly, hoping to get out exploring before anyone woke up. As the sun came up over the horizon Izura left her apartment and locked the door. She walked amongst various gardens and buildings, passing few people as she went. It was all very beautiful. After a while, Izura asked a soul reaper which way the Lieutenant's room was.

Izura followed their directions and ended up there after not too long. The door was on the second floor and it didn't look any different from any of the other doors. Izura knocked and waited for an answer. Not long after came the feeble reply: "Come in".

As soon as she entered Izura felt out of place. The Lieutenant's quarters were very nice and orderly, except for Momo Hinamori who was sitting up in bed with a book. She looked really tired, but she was still pretty. Her raven hair was tie in the back in a bun and had a light blue cloth over it, and her brown eyes gave off a serene expression.

"I don't believe I have met you before..." The Lieutenant began.

"No Ma'am, I am Izura Lee, 18th seat of squad 5. I was just assigned yesterday." Izura said formally, she still had her prejudice against the frail looking Lieutenant in front of her.

"Oh right, nice to meet you Izura, I am Momo Hinamori, your Lieutenant. But you knew that already." The girl laughed. Izura couldn't help noticing that she didn't look much older than Izura. "Oh, and you don't have to be so formal. You can call me Momo, or Lieutenant Hinamori if you really want to… How can I help you on this fine morning?"

Izura was surprised by how nice the Lieutenant was, not to mention upbeat and happy. Izura had always thought that she constantly looked, and was, depressed. She cleared her throat and continued. "Lieutenant Hinamori, I am here today because I wanted to know what I should do for duties, as well as what I should expect from now on as a seated member of this squad."

"Huh? You don't have to worry about any of that yet, silly." The Lieutenant replied, shocking Izura. "During the next week you will be given time to take things easy and explore the barracks. Once that is over, you and I can get down to business about your duties. Until then, go and enjoy yourself."

"Oh… Uhhh, ok. I guess. Thank you, Lieutenant Hinamori." Izura bowed as she replied. Izura left the senior officer's quarters feeling extremely confused. Momo wasn't anything like Izura had preconceived her to be, and Izura actually felt that she could easily come to like the Lieutenant. She had seemed genuinely happy that Izura was a part of the squad… Izura held her chin with her right hand, and her right elbow with her left hand as she walked, something she often did when she felt confused.

"Izura…. Izura!... HEY IZURA!"

"Huh?" Izura said as she was grasped in a hug by her boyfriend. She was glad to see him, but… The momentum he had built up running after her caused them to tip, and within seconds the two had crashed into a pond next to the walkway. When Izura surfaced, she looked for Ikkaku who popped up right after her. _Thank God people are still asleep… I've never seen Ikkaku this excited before, He's like a puppy!_ Izura thought as she walked out of the water and Ikkaku followed.

Before Izura could turn around and ask Ikkaku why he thought it was a good idea to run around ponds, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against him. He leaned his head down close to her ear.

"I missed you yesterday. I decided that I would let you get settled in here, then we could go out tonight instead of yesterday like I had promised. If you still want to. Just me and you, my beautiful girlfriend…" He whispered with a hint of apology in his voice. Izura remembered how he had promised to bring her out for sake after graduation, but it didn't really matter. She blushed when he called her his beautiful girlfriend.

"There are prettier girls out there…" She tried to reply when Ikkaku squeezed her to him tighter. "No, you are the most beautiful…" he said as he turned her around and looked her in the eyes, still keeping Izura firmly pressed close to his body. He reached a hand behind her head and tilted it up, taking her lips in a embrace of passion with his own. He had never felt this way about anyone, like his world would collapse if they disappeared. _She just can't understand how beautiful she is in my eyes…_ He thought as he pulled away.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, and then I am going to spend the day with you… That is, if you don't already have plans?" He asked, remembering that she was part of a squad now.

"I'd like that." She replied, as he took her hand and she led him to her apartment. When they arrived, Izura went in the bedroom to change then turned around again to face her love. "What are you going to do; I don't think my Kimonos will fit you…"

Ikkaku chuckled then replied "Go get changed, I'll go back and do the same. AND, I bet I will be back before you are done." Then he disappeared.

Izura liked the thought of the challenge and ran into the bedroom, throwing her sopping wet clothes into a pile on the bathroom floor. Her bathroom was another door in her bedroom which she had noticed before bed the night before. She pulled on a pair of lacey panties and a bra that she had ordered from the world of the living, then pulled on a kimono that was black and red with roses on it. This particular one tended to show off a bit of her cleavage. Confident he wasn't back yet, Izura strode into the living room… Only to find Ikkaku sitting on the couch stroking Masaomi.

"What? How? Oh never mind." She said as she slid onto the couch next to her lover who had a triumphant grin upon his face. Masaomi jumped away, leaving Izura and Ikkaku to each other's company. Ikkaku pulled Izura on top of him as he stretched out along the entire length of the couch. He was now wearing dark wash jeans, a white tank top, and sunglasses which he put on the coffee table.

"Where did you get clothes like this? I didn't think you could get them, much less wear them." Izura asked as Ikkaku grinned.

"Do you like them? Do I look badass?" He asked, causing his grin to deepen and gain a bit of ego. "I know someone who has a shop that sells the latest fashions from the living world. We can go if you want, but in my opinion, you look absolutely adorable in kimonos." He kissed Izura's lips and not long after initiating the kiss his tongue was looking for entrance. Izura obliged, more than happy that she could have the entire day with Ikkaku to herself. She entangled her tongue with his, then moved into his mouth. Ikkaku was surprised, but he let her have her way. She swiped her tongue around his mouth and lavished in the mint tea taste that he had. Ikkaku let out a growl deep in his throat, startling Izura. She withdrew from his mouth, and then took a deep breath of air. She hadn't realized that she was stretching her poor lungs.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "That just felt so good, I couldn't help it." He flipped her over so that she was underneath him on the couch, and kneeled over her. When he kissed her this time, he didn't try to be overly careful or gentle. He let out all his emotion into the kiss, loving the way that she responded by rising up to meet his mouth, not letting him go. Using one hand to keep himself above her, he let the other wander to her hair, then down her neck to her collarbone. He slipped his hand under the opening of her kimono and onto her bare shoulder, stopping when he felt cloth. _What is this? Lace…?_ Ikkaku explored without his eyes. Then it hit him. _A bra? Oh yea, I'm sure she would wear one…_ He let his hand follow the strap down until it reached the cup, and Izura moaned. _I'm moving too fast… But I really want her... all of her…_ he thought. _I'll let her decide…_ Izura wondered if she should be letting him explore the way he was, but he hadn't gone anywhere too intrusive yet. They paused briefly to catch air, and Izura reached her hands up and around his neck.

"Ikkaku, I'm yours, from now on. I'll never leave your side…" she said as he began kissing her neck. She moaned again, unable to stop herself. This time he did place his hand on her breast, but it stayed outside the kimono. In reply, Izura moved a hand over the contours of his back and onto his butt. She wasn't gonna grab his junk, so the next best thing was his ass.

"And I am yours, Izura. I promise that I will always protect you… I will always be right here, whenever you need me." With that said Ikkaku slid off the couch and pulled Izura up into an embrace. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat, and then I'll bring you to that shop…"

A few hours later Izura was wandering amongst racks and racks of clothes. She had found a nice pair of jeans to match Ikkaku's, as well as a cute skirt that was black and came with a built in belt that had butterfly charms hanging from it. She was in the middle of picking out some cute low cut tops and a zip-up sweatshirt that had a giant purple butterfly on the back, among various other amenities. At the counter the saleswoman smiled.

"You two are a very cute couple!" she said as Ikkaku placed some cash in her hand.

"Keep the change." He replied, grabbing the shopping bag.

"Wait, Ikkaku, I can't let you buy those for me!" She replied as they left the store and the woman called 'Have a nice day!' after them.

"I'm buying my girlfriend some clothes; I don't see anything wrong with that." He replied. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her close as they walked. It had taken them several hours to find clothes that Izura had liked, then have her try them on. The sun was disappearing over the horizon as Ikkaku and Izura arrived at Soul Sushi. Ikkaku talked to the waiter once inside and they were seated at a private booth for two.

When the waiter brought over a jug of sake, Ikkaku ordered some sushi plates then poured some sake out for Izura then himself. He lifted his glass and toasted.

"To the love of my life and her new seated position in squad 5." Then he downed the shot, followed quickly by Izura. It didn't take long before the plates came out, and Ikkaku let Izura pick what pieces she wanted first. Izura picked out a couple pieces of various types and arranged them on her plate like a fish. Ikkaku chuckled incredulously as he picked out some pieces for himself.

"You're just mocking the fact that those fish are dead and chopped up by arranging them that way." He said as he popped a piece in his mouth.

"I thought it would look cute as I devoured it piece by piece!" She replied, scarfing down a few pieces of the sushi. Ikkaku grabbed her hand as she went to grab another.

"Please be careful. I don't want you to choke because I laughed at your sushi arrangement." He said seriously, a look of remembrance of his face_. I could handle it if she was under attack by hollows, but how am I supposed to save her from herself?_ He thought as he loosened his grip. Izura didn't go to remove her hand, but rather twisted it and interlocked fingers with him.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to tell me that. I'll try to keep my pride in check from now on…" Izura replied, knowing that she had been acting childish. She poured herself another shot of sake with her free hand, and then offered the bottle to Ikkaku. He poured himself some more as well, then they drank them in unison. Izura was beginning to feel her cheeks turn pink from the alcohol, but she was determined to have just as much sake as Ikkaku.

"Let's have a chugging contest!" She demanded, pouring more sake into her cup until it overflowed.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Ikkaku said taking the cup from her. "You don't have a high alcohol tolerance yet and who knows what will happen if we both get completely hammered.."

"Chicken."

"What was that?" Ikkaku said, letting a little bit of his fight-loving personality through.

"I called you a Chi-cken. Chicken. Bok.. bobobobok!"

Ikkaku slammed his fist on the table. "Alright, you want a competition? You're on, babe." Ikkaku said as he called the waiter over and got 2 more jugs. "You asked for it, NOW BRING IT!" He yelled, tossing back his head and guzzling sake from his jug. Izura grabbed her own a quickly began consuming to catch up. _Why the hell did I do that…? It burns… I'll never beat him._ She thought as some sake drizzled down the side of her mouth. Ikkaku had emptied most of his jug and paused to laugh at Izura, his own cheeks pinked by the taint of sake. _I shouldn't have let my temper fly… If she gets hurt because of me…_

They finished around the same time and Izura felt sick. She really needed to vomit, but she didn't want to do it in the restaurant. "Ikkaku?"

"What is it, Izura?" He asked, alarmed at the tone of her voice.

"I don't feel good…" She replied, trying desperately to calm her stomach.

_Shit… I have to get her home quickly…_ He thought as he stood and grabbed the bag of clothes. He left plenty of money on the table to cove the bill plus a generous gratuity, then helped Izura up out of the booth.

"Alright, let's get you home." He said, and carried her out of the bar. The late summer air was warm, but not muggy as he walked down the street with Izura in his arms. She felt much better now that she was outside, and was glad Ikkaku was carrying her, everything looked like it was flopping around, even the ground. Ikkaku got her home quickly and brought her right over to her bed. He laid her down, but she grasped his wrist before he could stand.

"Stay… please?" She asked. _I don't want to let him leave yet… It was such a nice day; I want to finish it off nicely…_ He got into bed next to her and pulled her close without arguing. She kissed him, putting everything she had into it. Without breaking the kiss, Ikkaku flipped Izura onto her back then pulled her up onto his lap. _Now is my chance to prove my love…_ she thought slowly as she started tugging off Ikkaku's top. He didn't stop her, but instead he began untying her kimono. It drooped down before he tugged it off, revealing her lacey undergarments. _She really is so small and fragile under these large kimonos…_ he thought, looking over her slender frame. "Izura…" Ikkaku whispered as he placed a hand on the bare skin of her exposed side. She flinched and began laughing as if he had tickled her. _Hmmm… That could be advantageous for future arguments_. He thought, wondering if she would give I so easily while being tickled. He moved his hands up her back to where the bra was hooked and carefully began undoing each clasp until he was able to remove it, throwing it against the far wall. After a moment, they both got what they had only admitted to themselves they wanted as Ikkaku lowered himself to close the space between them.


	12. Rough Morning

Chapter 11: Rough Morning

When Izura woke up, she had a major hangover headache again. _Why do I do this to myself?_ She wondered, sitting up in bed and wiping the sleep from her eyes. She felt something across her lap and she looked down. First of all, she had Ikkaku's arm around her waist, holding her close to him. Secondly, she was naked. _What the Hell happened last night... Don't tell me we… _Izura thought as she noticed that he was also unclothed.

Ikkaku began to stir, and his eyes opened. He was tired, but he slowly focused in on the world around him. The first thing he saw was the smooth skin of Izura's hip, and as he went up he noticed that she wasn't wearing anything. Their clothes were strewn around the bedroom like they had been haphazardly removed and tossed aside. _What happened…? Oh yea, we got drunk. And then when I brought her home she came onto me… And….Crap, we did it, didn't we… She looks a little upset, does she remember?_ Ikkaku sat up and looked at his girlfriend, afraid to make her even more upset. Was she upset at him? Was that her first time?

"Izura… I…" He started to apologize, then Izura cut him off.

"I don't remember much of what happened, but I don't regret it. It was with you, the man I love, and fortunately not with some stranger I met at a bar. My first time… I just wish I remembered it. I shouldn't have goaded you into drinking that much with me. I hope you're not mad, and that you can forgive me." She said, slipping back down under the covers. Her hips were a little sore and she didn't want to get up yet, seeing as how the Lieutenant had said that she could have the week to herself.

"If you're ok, then I'm ok, and I am definitely not mad at you." Ikkaku relented, relieved that she seemed to be ok with what had happened. Of course he wasn't mad, just worried. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. She let him hold her, glad that he wasn't mad at her. _What I did was stupid…_ she thought snuggling up close to him. She was a little cold, and Ikkaku gave off a lot of body heat.

"Do you have to go back to the barracks today?" She asked him, hoping he didn't have to. She would understand if he did though, he had spent the whole day yesterday with her and the past night. He probably had duties to attend to.

"I do, I have to check in with the Lieutenant and see if there is anything I have to do today. If not, I'll come back and spend the day with you again. I have to leave soon though, it's almost eight." He replied a little unwillingly. Izura pulled away then, surprising him.

"Then you should probably head out so you don't get in trouble. And I'm sure that Yumichika is going to give you a hard time." She laughed. Izura didn't want to get in the way of his work.

"Are you sure? I'll be back as soon as possible." He said when she nodded her head. He kissed her quick, and then got out of the bed. He knew that if he didn't leave quickly, he wouldn't leave at all. Izura watched as he got dressed, his muscles rippling with every movement. _Am I being creepy?_ She thought as he pulled up his pants and got ready to leave.

"Be back before you know it. I love you!" He said as he left, locking the front door behind him. When he left, Izura pulled her knees to her chest. She truly didn't regret her actions the night before, but something was eating at the back of her mind. _How long ago was my period? I'm not on any birth control medication, and I am 99% sure that there was no condom used seeing as we were both hammered… _Izura counted out days on her fingers, reaching 14 days since her last period. "Dammit" she whispered, knowing that nothing would be certain until it was time for her next period. She had only just become a new soul reaper with a seated position as well, if she didn't have a seat, she wouldn't worry, but… "What will be, will be." She said as she got up and stretched.

Izura pulled on some of the clothes that Ikkaku had bought for her the day before, including: The skirt, a purple low cut camisole, some knee high black socks, and a pair of black skater style sneakers. _Oh sneakers, how I missed thee. _She thought as she tied the laces tight. She was about to leave out the front door when there was a knock, surprising Izura and causing her to jump back. _Who could it be?_ She wondered as she opened the door. Standing outside her door were 17 men and women wearing soul reaper outfits. _What the hell?_ "Hi… How can I help you?" Izura asked the woman in front who looked like she was in charge.

"We are the 17 other seats in squad 5 and we have a bone to pick with you!" The large woman said in a slightly masculine voice. The woman was tall and extremely muscular; her sheer size towered over Izura. "What makes you think that you can happily enjoy a seated position in our squad as soon as you leave the academy, then run around willy nilly on your first day? And what's with the clothes? You think you're too good to wear the soul reaper uniform like everyone else?" In truth Izura wasn't wearing it because it was still sopping wet from the day before. She had hung it in her shower, but it wasn't drying all too quickly. Izura let the woman keep yammering on, bored with the conversation.

"You must think you're hot stuff, just because you and the third seat of squad 11 are close. You probably seduced him into your bed last night, you little bitch…" Those were the last words she got to say before Izura jumped in the air and smashed her in the side of the head with her right leg, causing her to fall to the ground.

"If you have a problem with me, that's fine, but don't bring Ikkaku into this. God you just love to hear yourself talk don't you…" The larger woman had opened up a piece of Izura that she had tried for so long to keep under control, and had really hoped had been suppressed. In middle school, Izura had gotten into lots of fights with boys due to her fiery nature. That nature was due to an unruly "dark" personality she had been born with. Izura had thought she had finally suppressed her black personality in high school, but apparently she was wrong… It had flared up the other day in the final training exercise against the Hollow, she was sure of it. And right now, she was ecstatic. A smirk slid into place on her face and an evil giggle escaped her lips.

"You have a bone to pick with me? Alright, then bring it! Hey, you!" Izura said, lifting the large woman up by her hair and looking into her eyes. The woman was barely conscious and her eyes were afraid, but she also had a look of defiance. "What seat are you?" Izura asked with a sweet smile.

"Seat 5." She spat. Izura dropped her on the ground again and stood up facing the crowd.

"Ok weaklings, seats 5 through 17 are now moved a seat back. I am the new 5th seat!" She announced, not really caring what they thought. Whatever happened to this being one of the most caring squads? "Where are seats 3 and 4? Come and face me!"

13 of the soul reapers stepped aside, revealing 2 males. The former 5th seat remained on the ground, completely unconscious. "You want to fight us? What makes you think you can beat us?" the one on the left asked. He had spikey red hair and a slightly muscular build. He was definitely going to be the cockier one. The one on the right remained silent, analyzing the situation. He had long purple hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and his glasses glinted in the morning sunshine.

Izura pointed to the unconscious woman on the ground. "This pile of trash is what makes me think I can beat you. She pissed me off, and I beat her without using my zonpakutō. Quite frankly, this is a squad of weaklings. No wonder your captain left…" Izura was cut off when the one she thought was going to be more reasonable charged up and attempted to slice her wide open with his sword. Izura dodged, confident that she would be fine in her current state.

"Don't you ever say that again. Sosuke Aizen is a traitor, and if you say that around the Lieutenant and make her upset, I'll personally slice you to threads."

"I see. How about this, I wanna challenge you for your seat. What seat are you?" Izura said, unfazed by the zonpakutō held in her direction.

"I am Nir Ibuki, third seat of squad 5." He said through a hungry set of eyes that wanted nothing more than to tear into her flesh with his sword. "I accept your challenge."

"HEY! Don't act like I'm not here!" The red head shouted angrily.

Izura had already turned to unlock her door, and without turning back she said. "You both can come at me at once." Once the door was unlocked she quickly located Hoshi Shukketsu and returned outside. "Ready boys? Here I come!" She announced as she retuned outside. Izura's dark personality was beginning to fade, but she didn't let it show. She was still angry, and now was her opportunity for some serious advancement. If they hadn't reawakened this primal part of her personality, it probably would have taken her months, maybe even years to advance this far in strength and position. She wasn't afraid to get hurt, and that made her dangerous. Sealing it away had made her cuter and more attractive, but also weaker.

She met the third seat head on, smashing Hoshi Shukketsu into his own zonpakutō. The fourth seat came at her from behind, but Izura twisted out of the way, leaving him to crash into their teammate. They recovered quickly and came at Izura again, both from different angles.

"Fall to the Earth, Hoshi Shukketsu!" Izura awakened her zonpakutō. As the blade broke into shuriken, Izura sent two at each of the males, keeping the fifth with her just in case. She hit both unsuspecting targets, then relentlessly sent the shuriken in again and again. Izura was about to ask if they were ready to give up when a voice cried out from behind her.

"What are the three of you doing? Stop this!" The Lieutenant ordered as she emerged from the crowd. Izura called back her zonpakutō and sheathed her sword. The third and fourth seat stood up, bleeding from the multiple shallow cuts that Izura had left on them.

"18th Seat, Izura Lee, what is the meaning of this?" Lieutenant Hinamori demanded as she came to stand in front of Izura.

"I was going to go out for a walk to explore the barracks this morning when this group showed up on my doorstep. The former 5th seat…"

"Former 5th seat?" Momo interrupted, surprised.

"Yes, former 5th seat. She wanted to pick a fight with me since I had been put into a seated position from the academy, and called the honor of a member of another squad into question. A higher seat than her own, no less. I did assault her first, and I kinda hit her a little hard…" Izura explained pointing to the woman who was now sitting up on the ground. "Since I defeated her, we agreed that I should become 5th seat and move everyone back a seat."

"Is this true, Pedra?" Momo asked the woman on the ground.

Pedra looked reluctant, but the large woman replied "Yes."

"Then you are at fault. Continue, 5th Seat Izura Lee."

"After that, I got a little out of control and angered the third and fourth seats, then challenged them for their seats as well, which is when you showed up, Lieutenant Hinamori." Izura finished.

Momo deliberated with herself for a moment, then turned to the third seat. "Do you admit defeat? She would've beaten you, Nir, if I hadn't come along."

"Reluctantly, Lieutenant…" The man replied, his eyes to the ground. He left quickly, and the rest of the group left as well.

It was quiet for a few minutes, then Momo asked "Izura, what did you say to make him that angry? In all the time I have known him, Nir has never lost his temper this badly, no matter what."

Izura was reluctant to reply, especially now that she had cooled off and was back to her normal self. _May as well get this over with now…_ She told herself, then repeated her earlier statement about the Captain leaving.

Momo looked shocked, and a trace of panic sparked across her features before she reined her composure again. "It was wrong of you to say something like that. Captain Aizen…"

"Lieutenant Hinamori!" Izura interrupted forcefully. "I'm sorry, you have been really nice to me, and in general, you are a wonderful person, but you need to stop defending that man. Sosuke Aizen is a traitor. I heard that he even stabbed you, and yet you still wish to protect him? He is not the Captain of this squad anymore, and if you could give him up, I know you would feel better and stronger. You need to stop living in the past and look at what is front of you. I heard that this is one of the most caring and relaxed squads, but I just got attacked by 17 of my teammates. If you weren't dwelling on the past, I'm sure you probably could've even risen to the rank of Captain by now!" Izura vented out her frustrations.

The Lieutenant looked dumbstruck and upset. "Izura… If you had been in my position, and Ikkaku had betrayed the soul society, could you do what you just said?" Momo pointed to the roof above Izura's front door, and above it, Izura could see Ikkaku sitting a little impatiently. "Please think on what I have said, I will see you at the end of the week, third seat Izura Lee."

When Izura turned back to reply to her Lieutenant, she was gone. Izura fell to her knees and clutched the ground. Her dark personality always left her feeling a tad bit drained when it wore off.

"Hey!" She heard as Ikkaku slid off the roof and ran over. "Are you alright Izura? You look a little pale…"

"Ikkaku." Izura said taking a hold of his hand as he put it on her shoulder. "How much did you see?" Her hand was trembling; she really hoped that he hadn't seen that part of her.

"I saw you kicking ass. Why didn't you fight like that in our match? That would've made it soo awesome!" He grinned.

Izura turned around shocked. "I didn't turn you off, that side of me? I had thought that I had suppressed it for good but when that bitch…" Izura was interrupted when Ikkaku threw his arms around her neck and held her in a tight embrace.

"I love the cute side of you, but you know me, I love a good fight. But you need to know something, don't ever get provoked over something as stupid as me. It isn't important, especially if what she said wasn't true-" He said, trying to comfort her.

"BUT YOU ARE WORTH IT!" Izura suddenly outburst. "And what she said was completely true… And I feel terrible about it…"

Ikkaku picked her up swiftly and opened the door to Izura's apartment. He kicked the door shut behind him and promptly threw Izura onto the couch as gently as he could while still being forceful. Izura was caught completely off guard and tried to ask him what he thought he was doing, but he was suddenly on top of her, placing his lips on hers. He didn't try to be gentle, he only wanted her_. She can be so stupid sometimes…_ He thought as he curled one hand in her hair and leaned on that arm while his other had wandered. Izura had long since stopped fighting it and gave in to the forceful kiss. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

When they broke for air, Ikkaku asked "Am I really worth you getting into fights or getting hurt? It kills me inside, every time you get hurt." He wiped his free hand over her cheek and showed her the small amount of blood that had been flowing from a small cut that she didn't even realize she had procured. He licked his hand clean, causing Izura to grab his hand.

"Don't do that!" She said appalled.

"Why not? If you have any diseases, I probably have already caught them…"

"No, it's not that. I'm clean, but it's just…"

"Don't worry, I don't do something like that on a regular basis, I just didn't want to wipe it on your furniture or your pretty clothes." Then he was kissing her again. He picked her up then sat on the couch, keeping her on his lap and never breaking from the kiss. The next time they parted, Izura rested her head on his chest.

"Guess what?" She said, excited about what she was going to say next.

"What?" He asked, not sure what was going to come out of his lover's mouth.

"I'm a third seat, just like you now." She said, snuggling in close to his chest.

"I heard." He chuckled.

"So you didn't have to work today?" Izura asked after a couple more minutes had gone by.

"Yea, about that…" He said, reaching one hand back to rub his bald head. "I don't have to work today, but early tomorrow morning they are sending me on a mission to the world of the living, and I don't know how long it will take."

"Well, that's work for you. I'll be waiting when you get back," Izura replied kissing his cheek. Ikkaku knew she would, she didn't lie to him. "Can I ask something selfish?"

"What is it?" He asked, hoping it was something that wouldn't make him incapable of leaving her in the morning. It had been hard enough that morning to leave her in the bed all alone after taking her virginity, he had really just wanted to blow off his duties no matter what punishment they dished out.

"Will you sleep over with me tonight? You don't have to wake me in the morning, but having you with me tonight will make it easier during the time that you're gone…" Izura said, feeling extremely silly. She knew she would be lonely while he was gone, so she wanted him to be with her before he left. There was a short pause, and then he said "Of course I will."

Then something occurred to her. "Did Yumichika give you a hard time today?"

Ikkaku's ears blushed red then spread to his cheeks. "Of course he did. He's my best friend, but he knows just which buttons to push. He knew about me spending the day with you yesterday, so he began to pester me and…"

"So he knows."

"I didn't tell him, but he knows. I told him that I'd kick his ass later and that I'd kick it twice as hard if he made you feel uncomfortable at all, at which he said 'Of course I wouldn't bring up a subject like that with such a lovely young lady, silly Ikkaku.'" He said in annoyance. Izura could tell from his expression that if Ikkaku got a hold of Yumichika, he would wring the smaller man's neck.

Izura laughed, causing Ikkaku to look at her incredulously. "What about any of that was funny? Huh? Huh?"

Izura yelped as he growled, and she tried to jump away, but to no avail. Ikkaku held her tightly and began tickling her sides, the only place where Izura was ticklish. "Hey! No! Wait ~!" She tried to get out between bouts of laughter. "How did you know about that spot!" She laughed out, trying to squirm away.

"I found it last night…" Ikkaku said, increasing the amount of tickling until Izura thrashed around so much that they fell off the couch.


	13. Eventful Day

Chapter 12: Eventful Day

In the early hours of the morning while it was still dark and chill, Izura woke up. Ikkaku was no longer in the bed next to her, but she heard rustling near the door.

"Ikkaku?" Izura said in her half-asleep state. The rustling stopped, and she heard him walk quietly back over to the bed.

"I'm sorry I woke you, babe." He said, running a hand over her hair.

"No… It's fine…" She said through a yawn. Izura sat up, and motioned him to come a little closer. When he complied, she kissed him as well as she could in her sleepy stupor. She ended the kiss shortly, afraid she was going to fall asleep again before she said what she wanted to say.

"Have fun… Be as safe as you can… I… {yawn} love you…." She said, causing him to grin.

"Of course I will, Izura. I love you too." He said before he kissed her back. "I'll be back before you know it." Then he was gone. Izura went back to sleep, unable to stay awake any longer.

When the week was up, Izura dressed in her soul reaper kimono and went to see Lieutenant Hinamori. It was raining pretty hard, and the constant flashes of lightning and booms of thunder put Izura in a good mood. She loved thunder storms, almost as much as she loved nighttime or fall. She quickly made her way through the barracks and knocked on the Lieutenants door.

"Come in"

Izura entered the senior officer's room and shut the door behind her. Today the Lieutenant was up and about, cleaning anything that seemed to need attention. She stopped cleaning the purple vase in her hand to look at Izura.

"Good Morning, Izura. How was your week?" she asked with a smile as she placed the vase back on a shelf.

"It was fine, thanks…" Izura replied, unsure of what to say. "How are you today, Lieutenant Hinamori?"

"Better than I have been…" The lieutenant replied with a distant look on her face. "Did you think on what I said to you, last time we talked?"

"I did." Izura replied with confidence. "If I had been in your position with Ikkaku, yes I would have been upset at the betrayal of the one I love, but I wouldn't let that be the end of it. I would fight, with every fiber of my being against the evil he had been consumed by, and I would end his life by my sword…"

Momo looked surprised, then thoughtful. "I see… I have been contemplating something for a long time, and working hard to achieve it. I will not stand by anymore while my squad needs me, and you, Izura, are the one who opened my eyes."

Izura blushed slightly, then argued. "I couldn't have been much help; I have only been here a week…"

"When you argued with me the day that you advanced to third seat, you helped me realize something. I decided to test you resolve by asking you to put yourself in my scenario, and you seem to be able to make firm decisions for the best outcome. I am going to tell you something that no one else knows now; can you keep it a secret?" At encouragement from Izura, she continued.

"I have been working on developing my bankai so that I can rise up to captain status and take better care of this squad. It's been hard, and it seems to always result in me being bedridden for the following day… But I am determined. I am telling you this because you are the next strongest in the squad, and I expect that either Nir or you will come to take place as the next Lieutenant if I can become the Captain… On a lighter note, I am sending Nir and you on a mission into the living world to destroy a pack of Hollows that have been wreaking havoc in Karakura Town. The soul reapers who were stationed there are on a more important mission at the moment. He should be here any minute, are you ready?"

"Of course I can, Lieutenant Hinamori. I will leave immediately." Izura said as she went to leave the apartment. "Oh, and, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Izura?"

"I think that you will come to make a great captain."

Once outside, she was quickly intercepted by Nir. He led her to a senkaemon (gate between the soul society and living world), then entered without ever having said anything to her. Izura followed and soon found herself in Karakura Town. _Why… Why does this place seem so familiar? _Izura thought as she followed Nir through the streets. It didn't take long to find the group of 4 Hollows. It was dark out, and the only light Izura could go by was the street lights. The moon was nowhere to be seen in the sky, and it made the night all the more eerie. Nir and Izura stopped several yards away to observe the Hollows and make a plan of attack.

"There are 4 of them and 2 of us. You take 2 and I'll take 2." Nir ordered, not giving her a chance to speak. Izura didn't entirely mind, but she was only letting it be for now. She was a higher rank than he, and he was going to have to learn to deal with it. Izura looked over the group as Nir used flash step to go around to the other side. The Hollows looked exactly the same, navy blue lizard creatures with spikey masks. They also had large teeth that reminded her of a T-Rex. They were circling something… _A girl? _Izura thought as she realized the small shape was a 3 year old girl.

Izura prepared to move in and Nir attacked suddenly, alerting the Hollows. He quickly dispatched one with a horizontal slice through the head, but the others converged on him. Izura attacked from behind, also killing one of the Hollows. The 2 remaining lizard creatures wailed, and scattered in different directions. One went to escape, while the other made a bee-line for the girl, who was wailing and crying. Nir went for the first after Izura lunged for the girl. Izura had enough time to gab the girl before the Hollow sunk its teeth in her left shoulder, causing blood to stain her kimono.

"Graaaahh!" Izura yelled, the pain making it hard to move her arm. "Goddammit!"

She dropped the girl and drew Hoshi Shukketsu in one fluid movement, then killed the Hollow with a single blow. She looked to see if Nir had intercepted his Hollow, and sharply took in a breath. Nir had indeed intercepted the Hollow, but he was worse off than she. He had been bitten in the torso, and he was bleeding pretty badly. The Hollow turned and ran as Nir lost consciousness. _Shit…._ Izura remarked to herself as she picked up the girl once again and hurried to Nir.

She analyzed and observed his condition, coming to the conclusion that he would need immediate attention. Izura became startled as a woman with Brunette hair came running down the street. She looked so familiar…

"Keika, where did you wander off to?" She asked the little girl in a frenzied panic, oblivious of Izura and Nir's presence. "I was worried! Are you ok, baby?" the woman continued, picking up the girl.

"I'm otay, momma. Onee-sama helped me…" The girl replied, pointing at Izura.

"Who are you pointing at? I don't see anybody…" The girl's mother replied, looking perplexed. "Maybe it's your big sister Izura, acting as your guardian angel…" She said, walking away with her daughter in her arms.

_What?_ Izura thought. _Does she have an… older… sister… named Izura?_ Flashes of memory sped through Izura's mind, but she couldn't focus any of them and was unable to process more than what they were. A dead girl in a puddle of blood, a pregnant woman weeping over the girl, a red headed soul reaper accompanied by a pretty female soul reaper…. _What… what was that? Oh crap! I can't think about this now, I have to help Nir!_ Izura recalled as she turned back to her partner. She picked him up and hurried away, knowing that time was of the essence.

After a while of searching, Izura came upon a decrepit building that would work well enough as a base. She laid Nir down and pulled back his kimono, checking out the horrible bite wounds. "At least it wasn't like a komodo dragon, or you'd be screwed… "She told Nir as much as herself. She pulled some bandages from a pouch she had decided to keep on hand tied next to her zonpakutō. She had a little bit of ointment for bleeding that she used before wrapping his torso. When she thought that he was stable, she sent a hell butterfly for help. Her patch job wasn't going to do much for him for long.

About an hour later a member of squad 4 showed up. "Sorry it took me so long! It was a little hard to find your location…" The small sized boy pulled out multiple supplies and began taking apart Izura's bandaging.

"Will you be ok if I go out? I need to catch another Hollow." Izura said, looking over the boys shoulder as he worked.

"Yea, I'll be fine. Go ahead and finish you mission." He replied, never looking away from the wound he was suturing.

Izura left quickly, glad she didn't have to stay and watch as Nir got sutured. Izura hated needles, immunization and otherwise. She made her way through the rooftops, attempting to locate the Hollow. She hadn't received an electronic tracker yet, so she had to search by spiritual pressure. This would have been fine, except for some reason the town was filled with large and powerful spiritual pressures from all over. Izura tried to sift through the feelings around her, eventually catching a small trace of the Hollows weaker spiritual pressure. Weaving her way around buildings and up streets, Izura came across the last person she had expected to see. _Ikkaku?_

Ikkaku was locked in battle with a massive man in a uniform that looked similar to a soul reaper kimono but different in style. It was also white instead of black. His arms were covered in boney casing that reminded her of a Hollow for some reason. The man had his giant fist on top of Ikkaku, who was at the center of a large crater. Hōzukimaru was broken in half, but Ikkaku was still standing. Izura stopped to watch, wondering what her love would do next.

"No helping it, I guess…" Ikkaku said his face turned down to the ground. Blood streamed from multiple wounds, but none looked overly serious. The top of his kimono had been destroyed as well, leaving him bare chested. "BANKAI!"

_Bankai? Wait… what? Ikkaku can use Bankai!_ Izura thought as Ikkaku put the broken ends of Hōzukimaru together and a large gust of wind swept around him. Energy crackled in the air and Izura could feel its tension.

"Ryuumon Hōzukimaru!" Ikkaku said as the wind died down and Izura could see him more clearly. A giant black and silver blade rested upon his shoulders and had a Chinese dragon on it. Connected to this blade by chains were to more blades in Ikkaku's hands, which were thick in the middle and ended in half moon curve blades. On the handles, just before the blades, was red fur like what was on the end of Hōzukimaru's shikai form, but in more abundance. Izura looked on in awe as a weak spiritual pressure crept past her senses. Knowing she had a job to do, Izura tore herself away from watching the fight and chased the Hollow.

_Ikkaku is going to have some explaining to do… _Izura thought as she quickly caught up to the lizard. She stabbed it in the back then sliced its face, killing it. The kill was merciless, but she was just happy that the mission was over. The sad thing was that these Hollows seemed much weaker than the one she had been against back in the academy. Izura hurried through the streets and arrived back at the building as Nir was waking up.

"Did you get the Hollow?" he asked weakly.

"Of course I did, that was our mission." Izura replied, feeling like he thought she wouldn't have finished on her own.

"And the girl?"

"Her mom showed up, she's fine." Izura replied, still a little annoyed with the injured man.

"Izura, your bleeding too. Let me tend to that." The boy from squad 4 said as he hurried over. Izura had completely forgotten about her injury, but now that she was aware of it, it throbbed.

"What's your name?" Izura asked as he put a cleansing solution in the bite marks, cringing as it stung.

"Hanataro Yamada, seventh seat of squad 4." He replied as he began to bandage her shoulder. The boy looked tired, but he still looked friendly.

"Thank you, Hanataro…" Izura said. She was beginning to lose energy, but she still had to help carry Nir back. When her arm was bandaged and Hanataro was satisfied with his work, Izura stood and retrieved Nir off the floor. She pulled one of his arms behind her neck and held him around the waist, then headed through the senkaemon that Hanataro opened.


	14. Oh Yea That is A Monthly Ordeal

Chapter 13: Oh Yeah, That Is a Monthly Ordeal…

It was just becoming dark when Izura returned to the Soul Society through the senkaemon. She made slow progress as she brought Nir to the infirmary of the Squad 4 barracks, but there was no helping it. Nir couldn't move very fast and Izura wasn't about to carry him with her injured shoulder. Hanataro walked ahead of her, only a few paces away. He had insisted that Nir be brought to the infirmary to be watched overnight and suggested the same for Izura, but Izura had told him that she had no such intentions. She didn't want to go somewhere for a long period of time where needles were kept, lest they want to poke her with them.

When they finally made it, 2 members of Squad 4 ran out with a stretcher and Izura placed her teammate in it. He muttered thanks and looked away as they walked him into the deeper confines of the barracks.

"Thank you for your help, Hanataro." Izura said, turning to leave.

"You're sure you don't want to stay for a little while and have that looked at more closely?" he asked before she could walk more than a few steps. Izura stopped, but didn't turn back.

"No… thank you though. I need to report to my captain, and be…sides…. Agggghhh." Izura had been about to tell him about her strong aversion to needles when a sharp pain pierced her arm where she had been bitten. She rubbed at the spot, but it didn't help very much. Hanataro ran over and put out his hands like he was going to hold her steady.

"Izura! Are you sure you don't want to stay? The wound could be becoming infected." He warned as she turned away and began to leave again.

"No, but thank you. I really need to head back and report to my captain." Izura replied through clenched teeth.

Hanataro gave up; he had had plenty of experience with the members of more brutal squads to know when the patient wasn't going to relent. He sighed, then replied. "Ok, but if it continues to hurt you or it seems to become infected, please come back so we can take a look at it."

Izura raised her right arm in a sign of agreement and farewell as she took off. The night was humid and it felt oppressive to Izura as she made her way back to the squad 5 barracks. Her hair clung to her face and she felt restricted bby the way her kimono clung to her body. She had long since arrived at Momo's room when she realized that she had stopped walking.

"Oh!" She said, then promptly knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Lieutenant Hinamori? I'm sorry that I am coming by so late…" Izura said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. As soon as she had entered she was enveloped in a hug.

"Wha… um… Lieutenant?" Izura said, turning around to face the senior officer.

"Are you ok? I heard about Nir, but I hadn't heard about you yet." The lieutenant replied as she released Izura and stood back to look at her. "Your arm…"

"It's nothing serious. I just got a little to careless." Izura explained, pulling her left arm closer to her body. Momo looked skeptical, but dropped it. As she walked farther into the room, Momo asked "Was your mission a success?"

"Yes, ma'am. All 4 Hollows destroyed" Izura recounted everything that had happened in Karakura Town, but cut out the part about Ikkaku's bankai and the weird flashes of memory she had had. Momo looked satisfied with her report and allowed Izura to leave shortly after. "Good job, third seat Lee. Go have a well-deserved rest, and if I need you, I will send for you."

In a tired and zombie-like state, Izura crossed the barracks until she reached her home. _Home… I can't believe how long it has taken me to start calling the apartment that… Only 2 weeks._ Izura thought as she entered through the door. She went to the bathroom and pulled of her kimono, deciding that a shower would calm her before she went to sleep, as well as help with the nastiness of the humidty.

_A month and a half… Ikkaku has been gone for a month and a half on that mission of his…_ Izura contemplated as she lay on her couch and lazily watched anime. She had decided that she would catch up on Durarara seeing as how Momo had told her to take the night off. Izura had been going on non-stop missions since the first one, except now she was allowed to go on her own (seeing as how she was the third seat). She hadn't talked to Nir in weeks and didn't plan on it anytime soon. She figured his pride was crushed since Izura, the newbie, had handled the mission better than he had. Izura rolled over on the couch so that she was lying on her side, accidentally launching Masaomi off the couch.

"Sorry bud," she yawned as he walked away. His namesake was on screen, looking bored in a warehouse surrounded by thugs. Izura's lids felt heavy, and she let them close. Izura had been getting really sleepy lately, and she wasn't sure if it was from the constant missions or something else. Maybe I'm getting sick… she thought as she drifted off to sleep. She hadn't been sleeping long when the front door opened and shut, alerting the arrival of someone. Izura ignored it, and hoped that whoever it was had the survival instincts to just let her sleep. The TV clicked off, but Izura still didn't open her eyes. _They have until the count of 3 to get the Hell out of my house. 1…2…_ Izura didn't get to three, because whoever it was kissed her lips.

"Awaken my sleeping beauty." Ikkaku said low in her ear as she opened her eyes.

Izura groaned, but sat up nonetheless. "Be grateful that it's you, Ikkaku. I was about to kill someone." She yawned.

Ikkaku laughed and stood up. "Whatever happened to my sweet Izura?" he said jokingly as he sat beside her on the couch. Izura leaned her head on his shoulder, too tired to laugh at his joke. She was about to fall asleep when he stomach lurched and she felt sick. _Awww no. Not now…_ she thought as she quickly got to her feet and ran to the bathroom.

"Izura?" Ikkaku said, worry evident in his voice. He followed her into the bathroom and was just able to grab her hair and pull it back before Izura got sick in the toilet. "Ohhh, baby. I'm sorry… Are you not feeling well?" He said as gently as he could. A few minutes later, Izura lifted herself from the toilet, only to slump against the bathroom wall. Ikkaku held her steady as she went to brush her teeth, then she replied.

"I felt fine, I don't know what is wrong with me…" Tears poured down her face, and Izura couldn't stop them. _Why did it have to happen now? He just got home…_ Ikkaku pulled her into an embrace and held her tight.

"It's ok. Do you feel ok now? Or do you want to go to Squad 4?" He asked, patting her hair.

"I feel fine now, but I do have a question for you. How come you didn't tell me you have a bankai?" Izura asked, wanting to change the subject.

Ikkaku froze then held her out away from him. "How do you know that I have a bankai?" he asked. His voice wasn't hostile, more like inquisitive.

Izura was tired still, but she replied "I was sent on my first mission shortly after you left, and I saw you when I was chasing a Hollow. I couldn't stop to talk because you looked busy and my prey was gonna get away."

Ikkaku was quiet for a few minutes, then he spoke quietly into her ear. "I have only told 2 other people about that, and I wasn't planning on telling you yet. I don't want it to interfere with your work, or us. Besides, if other people knew they would be begging me to become a captain, and I'm not leaving Captain Zaraki. I plan to die under his command someday. Is that ok with you Izura?"

"You are free… {yawn}… to live your life how you want. I won't stop you… But I will tag along." Izura grabbed his arm and pulled it around her back until she was up against him. "I do know one thing though… and that is that you had better not die anytime soon. Welcome home." She kissed him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had missed this, how close they got, the taste of his mouth on hers, the rush she felt… She didn't want to let him go. Izura opened her mouth and allowed him inside, entangling her tongue with his. They stumbled around until they got to the bedroom then Ikkaku pulled Izura down on top of him. He pulled away shortly after, grinning.

"Did you really miss me that much?" He said, pulling Izura's covers up and over the 2 of them.

"Mmmmhmmm." Izura managed in reply. Her head was drooping onto his chest, and it was getting hard to remain awake. Her lids felt heavier than ever before, and now that she was snug in bed with Ikkaku it was only a matter of time before she fell asleep.

"Sleep, Izura. I'll still be here in the morning." Ikkaku told her as he realized that she was struggling her very hardest to remain awake with him.

_No…_ Izura sat up suddenly, not wanting to fall asleep. "No. I… Ikkaku. I want…" She was too embarrassed to voice what she wanted. Her first time was a total blur in her memory thanks to sake, and she wanted to be with Ikkaku a little longer than this. He just got home; she should be able to at least do this for him, if not herself. _I'll show him…_ She thought, fully awake now.

Ikkaku was thoroughly confused. She had been so sleepy just a moment ago, and now she was pulling his kimono off of him. He was excited that she wanted to do it; it affirmed that she wasn't upset about what had happened before. His chest was bare as he sat up and kissed Izura's neck. He kissed his way upward and along her jawline as she got the bottom half of his kimono off, leaving him exposed. Izura's kimono was simpler, and she had it off in a matter of seconds. He growled as she pulled herself close to him and allowed him to wander. Feelings of ecstasy surged as he got closer than before and Izura was shown what she had been missing the last time.

In the early hours of the next morning, Izura woke to the now familiar feeling of her stomach lurching. She got up without disturbing Ikkaku and ran to the bathroom. The house was a little chilly for the end of summer, and Izura had to pull her arms to her chest to keep in some of her warmth as she vomited into the toilet. _That's it. I'm going to Squad 4, this is ridiculous!_ She cursed to herself as she pulled on her soul reaper kimono and wrote a note for Ikkaku, leaving it on the bed next to him. Not wanting him to worry, Izura wrote that she was on an errand and would be right back.

She hurried through the Seireitei, hoping that someone would be awake at the squad 4 barracks. Her hopes were answered tenfold when she realized that _a lot_ of soul reapers were awake. _It's like a 24-hour hospital…_ she thought as she walked over to a familiar face. "Hanataro…"

"Oh, Izura! What are you doing here? Are you feeling alright? How is your arm?" The shorter boy asked.

Izura explained her situation and Hanataro brought her into the infirmary. He brought her to a reception desk of sorts and talked to the woman behind it. She nodded her head a couple times then stood up.

"Alright Ms. Lee, if you don't mind coming with me I can help you get this sorted out." The woman had black hair that was pulled on top of her head in a bun and the woman herself was very tall, maybe 6'. She led Izura into a room like a typical exam room except it had a big reclining chair like at dentists offices. They discussed Izura's vomiting and life style, and the woman looked thoughtful when Izura told her how much she had been sleeping.

"Izura, are you sexually active?"

"Uh.. um.. yes…" Izura replied, caught off guard.

"Ok, and when was your last period?"

Izura counted on her hands and then recounted. She had completely forgotten…

"Over a month and a half… ago…" she replied, shocked. The woman nodded her head knowingly and asked her to get into the chair and relax while she went to go get some equipment. Izura got into the chair, and sat there motionless. How could she have forgotten her period…? She knew this could happen, and in fact probably would, but she had never attributed the freakish vomiting as _morning sickness_. The shock faded away before the woman came back with a monitor.

"My name is Rei, by the way. Now I'm just going to give you an ultrasound so we can be sure and see how things are progressing. Can you remove the top half of your kimono please?" She asked while she set up the equipment. Izura complied, feeling a little awkward that this woman was going to see her boobs. She lay back against the chair again and Rei came over with a tube of gel.

"This is going to feel funny, but bear with me." She said as she squeezed some of the gel onto Izura's stomach. She then went and retrieved the sensor for the ultrasound and flipped on the monitor. "Here we go." She said as she pressed it onto the gel. Izura focused on the monitor as Rei moved the gel around her stomach. It felt funny, and it was a little chilly against her usually warm body. Eventually Rei found the fetus, and Izura felt tears prick her eyes. _That's Ikkaku and my…. That's our baby…_ She didn't let them fall, but blinked them away. Rei couldn't tell her if it was a boy or girl yet, but told her around what time she had conceived, which had been that first time when Izura was drunk. Izura took it all in as calmly as possible and thanked Rei for everything as she cleaned her stomach off and pulled her kimono back together.

Back at the front desk, Rei told gave Izura a schedule for days when Izura should come back so that they could check on her and the baby, as well as telling her a little more about what she should expect before her next appointment. She sounded far away as Izura struggled to pay attention, the shock that she was carrying a _baby_, still had its cold influence on her. Rei told her that first of all, she was still going to get sick for the next three months. Also, that she would be developing a small baby bump soon and would probably begin to feel nudging from the baby.

"You can still carry out your duties as a soul reaper for the time being, but take it easy as well. It would also be a good idea for you to tell Lieutenant Hinamori so that she is aware of the situation when assigning tasks to you. Take it easy, Izura, and we'll see you soon." Rei explained before Izura left.

On the way home Izura contemplated how to tell Ikkaku. _Should I tell him now? Or later?_ She walked through the streets of the Seireitei and passed multiple soul reapers doing various things. _What will he think… He just got back from a long mission too, maybe I'll tell him at a later time. Yea, I'll tell him later. _It wasn't like he needed to know right then, she'd be pregnant for 8 more months for crying out loud. Around noon she arrived back at the barracks and her home. Izura opened the door to her home and entered.

The first thing Izura noticed was the smell of bacon and eggs cooking, accompanied by the sizzling sound that bacon made. Izura walked around the corner to see why Ikkaku would be making her food. _Or at least I _assume_ it is Ikkaku…_ Izura thought to herself. What she saw made her jaw drop. Ikkaku was indeed making breakfast, but he was doing it while wearing nothing more than her frilly pink cooking apron. Izura let a giggle escape her lips, causing Ikkaku to turn around.

He had the biggest and goofiest smile that Izura had ever seen upon his lips. "Hey Izura! Welcome home, I'm making you eggs and bacon with a side of this guy!" He said pointing to himself with his thumbs. That did it. Izura fell against the kitchen doorway in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. This continued on for a few minutes until she composed herself well enough to get up off the doorway and walk over to her boyfriend. She hugged him around the waist and looked up to see that he was blushing a little bit.

"Hey," Izura said, hoping to make up for her laughter. "You know that you are the best thing in my life, right? I love you."

Ikkaku's face softened and he smiled lightly. "I love you too." He replied with a kiss to her forehead.


	15. Promotions

Chapter 14: Promotions

Struggling to hold down food was not Izura's idea of a good time, yet that was what she found herself doing. Ikkaku was back at the squad 11 barracks for the day, doing various things for Yachiru, and Izura couldn't even stomach the scrambled eggs and toast he had made her before he left. _This morning sickness stuff is getting real old, real quick…_ Izura thought as she pushed away the plate of food. It didn't even smell appetizing to her anymore. It had been a few days since she had learned of the baby she was carrying, and quite frankly the thought scared her a little bit. Not a lot, because she had wanted this for a long time, but she hadn't been expecting to be this far along in a relationship yet. Ikkaku didn't even know the real reason why she was constantly sick yet either. She kept telling him that her immune system was just a little off and that when she went to squad 4 they told her she had a recurring stomach bug. He didn't seem to be totally sold on the idea, but he let it go. Izura didn't want to tell him yet because she didn't want it to interfere with how well he performed while doing work.

Masaomi mewed at her as she stared at her food. Izura felt bad, she hadn't been paying much attention to him since she had been placed in the squad. The cat rubbed against her legs and continued to meow until she reached down and absentmindedly rubbed his head.

After a few moments she stood up and scraped the remnants of food into the trash. She suddenly remembered that she had to tell Momo still, so she got changed and went to leave the apartment. Izura opened the door, only to be startled by Nir standing on her doorstep, hand raised like he was going to knock. Izura took a step back in surprise.

"Hi, Nir… Uh, how can I help you?" she asked as she exited her home and locked the door. _Why do people always show up when I am about to leave?_

"Lieutenant Hinamori requests your presence." Was all he said, then he turned and left as fast as he could.

Izura huffed out a sigh in reply and made her way to the Lieutenant's apartment like she had been planning on. She wasn't happy with the way the 4th seat always acted when he was forced to talk to her, and she was dangerously close to just grabbing him around the neck and beating the crap out of him one of these days. _I just want a little more respect is all… I suppose_. Izura thought as she walked up a flight of outdoor stairs. She turned a corner and knocked on the Lieutenant's door.

"Come in, Izura."

Pushing the door in, Izura walked into the apartment and walked over to her Lieutenant. "How did you know it was me?" She asked, wondering how indeed her Lieutenant had known.

"You have a way of knocking that is different from everyone else's" she replied as she tied her zonpakutō, Tobiume, to her side. "And I sent for you."

"How can I be of assistance?" Izura asked, caught a little of guard by the serious tone of Momo's voice. She shifted her feet uncomfortably as the Lieutenant turned to face her with an equally serious expression on her face. Momo was usually so happy and carefree…

"The time has finally come; I am going to be tested for the captain's position today." She replied as she walked over to Izura. "I wanted to tell you that if I pass, I have chosen you as the Lieutenant of this squad, and I will ask the head captain to appoint you as such. I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen today… and if I do pass, I am not sure that my request will be honored since you are so new to the squad, but I wanted to let you know, as my friend."

_Friend….?_ Izura thought as Momo finally smiled up at her. "I know you can do it, but do you _want_to become the Lieutenant?" the senior officer asked with sincerity.

"I would love to… but…" Izura remembered her baby and unconsciously raised a hand to her oh so very slightly raised tummy.

"Is something wrong, Izura?" Momo asked suddenly, holding a hand to Izura's forehead. The gesture surprised Izura, but she didn't shy away. "You feel ok…."

"I feel fine for now" Izura confirmed. "But I need to tell you that I'm… pregnant." Izura said the last word tenderly, still not entirely used to the idea though it no longer shocked or bothered her.

The Lieutenant's eyes got wide and a big smile formed on her lips. "That's great Izura! Is Ikkaku the father?" she asked as she grabbed Izura in a hug.

"Yea. Besides the nurse who diagnosed me though, you are the only one who knows. I don't want it to interfere with his work…" Izura replied.

"Of course! I promise I won't tell anyone, especially Ikkaku. And just so you know, I am still recommending you for the Lieutenant position." Izura was about to argue when Momo shook her head. "It'll work out fine, and when the time comes, I can take care of the Lieutenant work myself. I appreciate Nir and the others, but you are the one who I would feel most comfortable having as my Lieutenant. You work hard, you are honest, and I know you have the spirit of a leader in that heart of yours. Now, I do have to head out but I'll be back in a bit. I haven't sent anyone on missions so I figure you can all take the day off." Momo followed Izura out then locked her apartment and headed towards the squad 1 barracks.

Many thoughts swirled inside of Izura's head as she headed away from Momo's room. She liked the thought of being Lieutenant, but she was still going to need to raise her baby. God knows that Ikkaku won't be able to do it. She wandered around aimlessly, not really noticing where she was or where she was going. _And who is going to watch it when Ikkaku and I are on missions? Or more correctly when_ I _am on a mission… I'm not sure I want the baby to be around squad 11 much until they are older._ Izura thought to herself. After another hour of wandering she found herself walking into the squad 11 barracks. She didn't want to bother Ikkaku, but she hadn't seen Yachiru or Yumichika or Captain Zaraki in a while. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to see the squad 11 captain though. If he was in a good mood and wanted to fight, she might have to reveal her little surprise to yet another person, not to mention the baby's father's captain. Izura spotted Yumichika and walked over.

The 5th seat of squad 11 looked annoyed by something, but when Izura walked over his face brightened. "Izura, what a sight for my sore eyes. This place can be filled with so many ugly people, but your beauty is such a relief. Would you happen to be looking for Ikkaku?" He asked as he flipped his hair back in a gesture of beauty.

"Only if he isn't busy, but I also came to see you and Yachiru today, seeing as how Ikkaku always comes to me and I never get to see you anymore. How is everything?" Izura replied. She was never entirely ready when she ran into Yumichika, he was always so feminine in the way that he constantly described his beauty, but she never questioned his masculinity. His voice still had a manly edge and he could get quite fierce in a fight, and though many people were put off by his egotistic ways, Izura thought it completed his character.

"Eh. Same old same old. Today Yachiru really only has us cleaning up the place before the fall." He turned away from her and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey Ikkaku! There is someone here to see you!" He called. When there was no reply, he called out again. "Fine then, I'm gonna kiss Izura then she and I are gonna go get married and be the most beautiful cou~"

He didn't get to finish his outrageous summons because suddenly a broom came flying from a rooftop at light speed. Yumichika easily dodged and wrapped an arm around Izura's waist. Izura was too surprised to stop him when he pulled her in closer and he kissed her cheek.

"Yumichika! I'm gonna beat that pretty face in that you love so much!" Ikkaku cried as he jumped off the roof and started towards his best friend and his girlfriend. How dare Yumichika kiss Izura, she was his! As he approached Yumichika released Izura and darted away, knowing full well that Ikkaku wasn't joking.

"Really Ikkaku, you shouldn't leave such a beauty alone around here. I can't help myself when she is almost as beautiful as I am!" He replied as he disappeared over the nearest rooftop.

Ikkaku was breathing hard as he reached Izura, his temper slowly diffusing. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her lips softly, inhaling her breath and tasting her scent on his tongue. Izura reached her hands up around his neck as he pushed his hands into her hair, feeling how soft it was. He pulled away and said "I don't plan on letting him have you, sorry if you would rather enjoy his company." His devilish smirk had reappeared on his face like Izura was his prey.

"Nah," she replied, pulling herself closer to him. "I don't think he would be _as_ fun in bed as you are." Her lips spread into a not so innocent grin, causing Ikkaku to laugh.

"You couldn't even wait until I got home, huh? Well, then, I suppose right here in the middle of the barracks would be a great spot…" He chuckled. He kissed the top of her forehead then kissed down the side of her head until he got to her neck. He peeled her kimono away from her skin until it exposed her collarbone, then he kissed his way down to it. He wasn't entirely gentle, but Izura didn't mind so much so long as he didn't leave a hicky. Izura moaned a little, ecstatic at the attention, until she remembered where they were when she heard light footsteps headed their way.

Izura cleared her throat. "Ikkaku… Someone's coming. Can we pick this up later?" She said, rubbing the back of his head. Ikkaku didn't want to let her go, but he raised his head and kissed her lips one last time.

"You are going to owe me a little bit of you time when I get home later…" He replied when he pulled away. He took her hand in his and started leading her back out of the barracks. Another squad member passed the alley way they were in, but didn't look at them as he passed. Izura put her head on his shoulder, happy to be right where she was. After she parted ways with Ikkaku she realized how late it really was.

"Lieutenant Hinamori!" Izura exclaimed, immediately using flash step to cross the Seireitei and get back to her barracks. _I wonder… did she… did she do it?_ Walls passed her in a blur as she made her way. The Sun was still up, but it was starting to set. Izura didn't appreciate the summer heat, but she ignored it. Her entire future depended on what Izura found when she got home. As Izura entered the barracks she noticed that many of her squad members were gathered in the courtyard. Izura tried to see over them, but it wasn't easy. In the end, she crept around them until she could get onto the roof of the nearest building. When she could see, she saw the lieutenant at the center. Izura laughed incredulously as she noticed the white captain's haori that she now wore. She seemed to be looking for something as she searched the crowd.

"Has anyone seen third seat Izura Lee? Izura? Izura!" The captain called out over the crowd.

"Right here, Captain Hinamori!" Izura shouted out over the crowd as she got back on the ground and made her way to her captain. When she finally broke into the small clearing around her new captain, Izura bowed at the waist. "Congratulations, Captain."

"Thank you, **Lieutenant** Lee." Momo said with pride evident in her voice. Izura's head shot up, and she couldn't hide the gigantic smile that crept onto her face. Then she remembered the squad around her and composed herself. She felt like someone was watching her, and as she turned she noticed Nir staring at her intensely, hate burning in his eyes. She turned away when the Captain put her hand on her shoulder. "Starting today, everyone is to show Izura the respect you all showed me when I was Lieutenant. We are not a weak squad, and we will show all of the other squads that we haven't lost our touch. Now rejoice! You all have the night off!" Captain Hinamori announced, causing the entire squad to erupt into cheers. Bodies disappeared into the twilight as they went to celebrate in bars across the soul society. Eventually, only the captain and lieutenant were left.

"I can't believe this, the Head Captain really agreed?" Izura asked, looking over at her Captain.

"Yes, he thought that you would make a fine Lieutenant with all the work you have been doing lately. There is also something about you. Your spiritual pressure is pretty high and I know that he had something else he wasn't telling me, but I won't dwell on it… Oh, it appears like there is someone here for you…" Momo replied, looking over at the entrance with a knowing smile.

Izura followed her gaze and smiled when she saw Ikkaku standing with a bouquet of carnations. She left the Captain at a run, and jumped at Ikkaku while grabbing him in a hug. He staggered back a step and dropped the bouquet before he wrapped his arms around her and spun around. "You're a Lieutenant? When did you leave me in the dust?" He asked.

"I dunno, but I'm definitely not as strong as you yet…" She kissed his lips then continued. "I still can't believe it… Ikkaku! This is really happening!" she shouted in happiness as she buried her head in his shoulder and neck. The sun had finally set, and Izura and Ikkaku were left alone in the darkness.

"I'm proud of you, Izura. I really am. There is so much you can achieve and you are already going so far…" He didn't have the chance to finish because Izura was already kissing him. She really loved him. He knew just what to say and how to say it. Ikkaku was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He held her in his arms but let her slide so that her feet were on the ground.

Ikkaku held her close, knowing that she was his treasure. He loved her so much. Everything about her fascinated him. He kissed her for a while in the entry to the courtyard until a group of soul reapers came back drunk. One shouted "GET A ROOM!" causing his buddies to laugh.

"Maybe we should take this inside?" Izura suggested, then Ikkaku scooped her up and headed to her apartment.

"I think that's a great idea." He said with a look full of intent…


	16. Showdown

Chapter 15: Showdown

"Ikkaku, why do we never stay the night at your place?" Izura asked one morning while she and Ikkaku sat on the couch and snuggled. Izura had to report to her Captain soon to begin her duties as a Lieutenant, but she wanted just a few more minutes to be alone. Izura sat with Ikkaku's head in her lap, one hand holding his and the other massaging his neck. Ikkaku groaned as she massaged into a particularly tight spot.

"Because your place is nicer and my place would have Yumichika to bother us, not to mention Yachiru. Besides…" He left off as she started massaging the other side. "Mmmm, that feels so nice. You never told me you knew how to give massages…. Besides, No one usually bothers us here…" After a few more minutes he sat up. "Well, I think it is time that the Lieutenant got to work!" He pulled Izura up off the couch and he hugged her tight.

"I love you, Izura." He said with his lips on the top of her head.

"I love you too, Ikkaku." She replied, turning her head up for a kiss. She gave him a quick kiss goodbye then led him out the front door. "Are you coming back tonight?"

"So long as I don't get sent on a mission, of course I am. Have a great day babe." He said before he disappeared with flash step.

Izura headed to the Captain's room and knocked on the door. How easy it was to call Momo captain… She hadn't had a captain yet, so it kind of felt right. When Momo opened the door she looked a little tired, like she hadn't slept well.

"Izura… Sorry, come on in." She replied as she let her Lieutenant in.

"Good Morning Captain Hinamori." Izura greeted once she was inside.

"Good Morning, you know, you can still call me Momo."

"I could, but that wouldn't befit someone of your status." Izura replied. They went over to a small table with chairs and sat down. Momo pulled a file off of her counter and set it in front of Izura.

"These are all the jobs that squad 5 has been given for the week. I have also compiled a list and profiles for the entire squad so you know who has done what jobs and what skills each member poses. I created them while I was Lieutenant so that I could keep track of everything better. Every morning I would usually go through the list of jobs and decide who should do what job per day, then go report it to them or send a messenger. You have the authority to use any of the squad members as your messenger, I usually used Nir, but you can use whoever you would like… Any questions?"

Izura looked over the profiles and the list. Momo had even included who worked best with whom on each profile, which would be helpful when Izura was setting up teams. After a few more minutes of analysis Izura slipped the papers back into the file. "Thank you Captain Hinamori, this is extremely helpful. I promise to try my hardest for the good of the squad."

"I know you will, that's why I chose you. And the good thing about this job is that you don't have to go out into the field unless you really want to. That will be helpful as your pregnancy continues. How far along are you, by the way." Her captain asked, looking genuinely interested in Izura's baby situation.

"About 2 months" Izura replied with a smile.

The Captain sighed, and turned to look out a window. "You know… I always wanted to have kids. Being a soul reaper was always my first priority, but I thought that maybe, eventually, I could have a family too."

Izura took her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Captain, you make it sound like it's too late for that. You're still young! You have a much higher position that will depend more on you now, but you could do it. I would support you 110 percent!" Izura replied.

It was later in the day when Momo and Izura had finished discussing Izura's new responsibilities. When Izura got home she immediately pulled out the file and looked over the jobs for the week. A few were mundane, like cleaning up parts of the soul society, while others involved keeping the peace in the districts or the world of the living. In total there were about 14 jobs on the list, so Izura figured there could be 2 jobs given out per day. Izura picked 2 for keeping the peace in the districts of East 30 and 31, then went to find Nir. He was sitting by a koi pool with a book, reading in the shade of a cherry tree.

"Hey Nir, I have a job for you." She said as she approached.

The purple haired man slammed his book shut and looked up at Izura with a look of contempt. "What is it, _Lieutenant_?" He spat the last word out like bad medicine. _You know what?_ Izura thought as she reached down and grabbed him by the collar.

"I have constantly tried to be nice because I felt bad about how I achieved my seat advancement, but no more, you little shit." Izura shouted as she started shaking him back and forth. Her dark personality had been awakened again and she couldn't help but laugh. "Whether you like it or not, I'm the Lieutenant now. I'm ranked above you and I have more authority." Izura tossed him into the koi pool and waited for the man to resurface. When he did, he looked a little scared. He crawled out of the water and walked up to her but didn't say anything.

"I want an apology." Izura demanded. Nir refused to look at her as he whispered sorry.

Izura huffed out a sigh as she regained control of her temper. She wasn't entirely satisfied with his apology, but she let it go. "Go find Riku, Tokine, and Ferdo. I want the 4 of you to split into groups of 2 and fix anything in East districts 30 and 31 that needs fixing. You have to stay there for the month, if you need backup, send for me." Izura instructed, and then she turned on her heel and left.

Her confrontation with the third seat left her feeling drained, so Izura headed home. It was only 5, but Izura slumped onto the couch and fell asleep.

It was dark when she woke up, but her stomach felt terrible. After she got sick in the toilet she went to her bedroom to find some PJ's and go to bed properly. Izura pulled on an old t-shirt of Ikkaku's and some panties, she didn't feel like getting entirely dressed. As she pulled up the panties she realized that her stomach was a little more firm than normal. She palpated around until she realized that it was the beginnings of her baby bump. It wasn't raised out far at all, but it was what it was. Izura felt around the bump for a few more minutes until there was a knock at the front door. Izura's clock said that it was 9. Izura walked to the door and looked out the peep hole, seeing Ikkaku standing with bags in his hands. She pulled the door open, but stayed mostly hidden behind it since she wasn't wearing pants.

"Sorry I'm back so late babe; I forgot that you needed groceries." He said as he placed the bags on the counter.

"Groceries?" Izura said, puzzled. Ikkaku opened the fridge and she realized just how empty it was. "Huh, I didn't even realize…"

"You've been eating tons of food lately, and I'm sure you just don't realize it since I am usually the one making it. It's alright though; I brought whatever was in my fridge and bought some new stuff as well." While Ikkaku put away food Izura went and sat in a chair backwards. She rested her arms on the back of the seat, and her chin on top of her arms. She watched as he put things in the cupboards and the fridge, until he turned and asked "Are you hungry?"

"Mhmmm." She was tired, but right now, she was pretty hungry. As Ikkaku fried some eggs he asked her how her day was.

"Did anyone give you trouble?"

"Of course, but I took care of it. Nir's just an asshole."

"Ahhh." He replied, remembering the third seat from the time that Izura had advanced to the third seat position. "He must really like getting his ass handed to him by such a hot girl, I know I wouldn't mind." Ikkaku flipped the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. "Eat up."

Izura scoffed down the eggs with one hand while Ikkaku held her other and rubbed it with his thumb. "These are delicious!" Izura exclaimed, unable to wait until she had finished swallowing.

"Really?" her boyfriend laughed. "Just don't choke. I wouldn't mind doing CPR, but I don't want you getting hurt…"

Izura finished her late dinner in record time then stood up to go to bed, but in her eagerness she became light headed and fell. "Woahh"

"Hey! Izura!" Ikkaku exclaimed as he caught her. "Are you alright?"

"Just a little light headed…" She replied groggily.

"Let's get you to bed." Ikkaku said as he scooped her up and brought her to bed. She was out before he even got her in the doorway. Once she was tucked in and Ikkaku was sure she was asleep, he went and washed her dishes. His head was full of worry as he thought about her almost fall. _I hope she's alright… It's probably all the stress of her crazy promotions. It's a lot of work, and it's probably tiring her out and making her so hungry. At least I hope that's what is going on. She'd better not be getting sick, I'm not sure that I could take care of her properly…_ he thought to himself as Masaomi weaved around his legs.

Over the next few months Izura did her job efficiently. Missions came back as successes, and Izura had minimal issues with Nir. One thing did have Izura worried though, and it was the rumors circulating the Seireitei about Sosuke Aizen. Even when Izura went to Lieutenants meetings the rumors came up briefly. Apparently a big show down was on the verge of happening and the Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki had disappeared to Hueco Mundo with some of his friends on a rescue mission. He was also accompanied by Lieutenant Abarai and a soul reaper from squad 13. _Why does that name sound so familiar?_ Izura wondered as she headed to the Captain's apartment. _Ichigo… Kurosaki…_

Once inside she knew something was wrong. Captain Hinamori was pacing the floor and had a panicked look on her face.

"Captain Hinamori, how was the meeting?" Izura asked, hoping to break the concentration of her friends pacing.

"It was terrible. We're going to the world of the living. All the Captains and their Lieutenants are required to prepare for battle… We're going to take down Captain Aizen." The pacing never stopped as Izura realized the severity of what was going on.

"The final showdown…" Izura whispered to herself. "Captain Hinamori… Will you be ok? Can you do this?"

The pacing paused briefly as Momo turned towards Izura. "I don't _Know_! I still love him… But he was wrong. I must go… And then there is you. You are halfway through your pregnancy; I don't think I will let you go."

"Is Ikkaku going?" Izura interrupted.

Her captain looked reluctant, but she replied "Yes. He has been assigned to guard a tower that will be keeping the real Karakura Town here in the Soul Society. If Captain Aizen gets to the real city, he is going to destroy it to make the Oken…"

"Then I will go to battle too." Izura decided.

"But…"

Izura shook her head. She still hadn't told him about their baby, and though most all the captains and lieutenants knew their relationship, no one else suspected either. The baggy kimono that soul reapers wore hid her growing baby bump, and Izura was grateful. "I can't let him go and not go to support him while I still can fight. When are we going?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight…" Izura said, shocked that it was so soon.

It was quiet for a few minutes until Momo spoke. "Go rest, you are going to need it if you're going to be of use. Meet up with the other captains and lieutenants in the squad 1 barracks at midnight."

Izura kissed Ikkaku farewell as the Head Captain set up a formation for the battle. Her passion was answered only by Ikkaku's as he pulled her close. "Stay safe, Izura. If you get hurt, I don't know what I'll do with myself…"

"You'll kill the enemy in anger." Izura replied. "Ikkaku, I … I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"All Soul Reapers, prepare for battle!" Head Captain Yamamoto called out over the captains and lieutenants who had gathered. There really weren't many who had. Captain Yamamoto and his lieutenant, captain Soi Fon and her lieutenant, Izura, captain Komamura and Iba, captain Hitsugaia ad Rangiku, captain Shunsui, and captain Ukitake. The other captains and lieutenants were either in Hueco Mundo or staying behind to guard the real Karakura Town.

"Tell me later." Ikkaku said as he kissed her one last time before running off to join Yumichika, Izuru and Shuhei. All four of them had been given pillars to protect.

"Wait…" She said, not fully intending to make him turn around. _I'll tell him later, it's probably better that I don't take his concentration from the fight anyways…_ Izura looked around one last time for her Captain. _Momo, is the stress of seeing him again really that high?_

It wasn't long before they were heading through a senkaemon to the world of the living. The trip was quick, but it had Izura on edge. Sosuke Aizen was dangerous, and she knew the reputation that Gin Ichimaru had. She was sure that Aizen wouldn't come without backup either; he would most likely bring the strongest of his espada (The top most ranked Arancars) as well. Izura walked out of the gate and walked to stand near Rangiku and her captain.

"It's been awhile Izura, you should really come out drinking with us some more!"

"I know, I'll have to have Ikkaku bring me seeing as how we'll need to celebrate after this fight. You ready?"

"Yeah." The older woman answered. She exchanged a quick word with her captain and surveyed the sky around them. Yes the sky. Izura wasn't sure how they were standing in the sky, she had never asked. Not long after their group had exited the senkaemon, a rip appeared in the sky ahead of them revealing Sosuke Aizen who was followed by Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen.


	17. Revelation

Chapter 16: Revelation

The air seemed to grow very still as the captains and their lieutenants sized up the defectors. Izura looked at the three, and immediately identified Aizen from the rumors she had heard. He was tall, about 6 foot 1, Izura guessed. His eyes matched the color of his milk chocolate brown hair which looked like it was gelled back except for a thick strand that fell in his face. His outfit resembled a reverse soul reaper captains, except his outer haori was still white but unmarked. A magenta cloth encircled his torso like a belt. Izura was also tipped off by the way he stood ahead of Tousen and Ichimaru with arrogant dominance.

She identified Ichimaru next. She had heard that his very appearance could send shivers down your spine. He was pale, and his pale purple hair added to his chilling look. He didn't open his eyes, but rather squinted at the soul reapers in front of him. His outfit looked like it was made so he could have lots of space to move within it, the sleeves were even long enough to go past his hands. Almost in the same moment she identified Tousen as the dark male beside Ichimaru, to the right of Aizen. He had a silver plate over his eyes (which the sight of confused Izura) until she recalled that he was blind. His forearms and hands were covered in black and silver gloves, while his outfit remained sleeveless. He also had orange ropes that draped around his neck like necklaces.

"It seems we made it here in time." The Head Captain remarked as Aizen stepped to the edge of the opening.

"Made it here in time?" Aizen replied, looking at the head captain with a look of superiority. "Now why would you think to say something like that?" Aizen stepped out of the opening and walked forward a little ways.

"I am well aware that what lies beneath you is not the real Karakura Town. This may come as a surprise, but that means nothing to me." He continued as 3 more rips began to appear in the sky behind him.

"If Karakura Town is now within the soul society, we'll just kill you right here… And create the Oken within the Soul Society." The rips opened revealing arrancars. Izura was sure that a few of them were most likely his strongest espada.

"It is that simple, until then I will leave Los Noches… Under your care, Ulqiourra." Izura wasn't sure who Aizen was talking to. There were 13 arrancars below him, each in unequal groups. One group only had two arrancars, a man and a small girl, while another had four women and the one directly underneath Aizen had the most.

Everyone remained very still, the air that Izura breathed felt thick in her throat. Izura remained observant, constantly watching the opposition so she wouldn't be caught off guard. Ichimaru and Tousen and walked out of the opening in the sky to stand beside Aizen, and then all the openings closed. Eventually Izura became aware of quiet remarks coming from her comrades. She couldn't quite make out what anyone around her was saying except Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya who stood to her right.

"The problem is, while we're fighting the espadas there is no guarantee that Aizen won't get in the way." The young captain said without looking away from the enemies.

"You're right." Rangiku agreed with all traces of her usual playful mood gone.

A few more moments passed before the head captain shifted his weight slightly. "Alright, you should stand back." He held out his long curved staff and the wood began to peel away into nothing, revealing a zonpakutō. Izura watched in awe, she had always wondered where the head captain kept his sword.

"All things in the Universe turn to Ashes, Ryuujin Jakka!" He called out, releasing his zonpakutō. A flame engulfed the blade of the sword as he pulled it from its sheath and raised it above his head. The flame grew hotter and more massive then spread out and around Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen, holding them within a flame prison. Many of the captains scattered away a little bit to escape the heat of the attack. Izura even took a couple hurried steps backward.

"Jokaku Enju" The Head Captain named the attack as he sheathed his sword. Izura marveled at his power. The Head Captain was the most powerful Soul Reaper to ever exist and Izura just got a glimpse of what he could do.

One of the arrancars (whom Izura assumed was an espada) began talking, but Izura wasn't paying any attention. She was captivated by a nudge that she had just felt from within her stomach, and she looked down. _Thank God these kimonos are so baggy…_ Izura thought. It made it easier to hide the growing bump on her tummy. It was hard to tell Ikkaku no anymore when their attentions were otherwise directed…

When Izura remembered where she was her head snapped up and she looked back to where the arrancars were. The one who had been speaking before her baby had moved was the largest of the group. He had huge arms with equally large hands and he reminded Izura of King Triton from the Disney movie the Little Mermaid. His dark skin looked weathered and contrasted starkly to the white outfit he wore, as well as his beard and mask. A big scar ran down over his right eye.

_Roaaahhhh…._ Izura turned her attention to the sound of Hollows crying out and noticed that 4 massive Hollows were attacking the towers that kept the real Karakura Town in the Soul Society. It wasn't long until they were dispatched though, all 4 of the tower guardians looking smug at their kills. Izura was sure that Ikkaku was having a fun time, as he grinned his signature devilish smile.

The dark skinned espada didn't look as amused. One of the arrancars next to him exchanged a couple inaudible words with the espada, and then 4 of the arrancars headed to the towers. Izura watched as fights commenced. Ikkaku was up against a large arrancar who was probably 2 or 3 times the size of any grown man. He kinda reminded her of a Chinese monk of sorts. Yumichika seemed to be having issues with his opponent, and Izura could guess why. The man was dressed in super tight clothes and had long wavy purple hair. He looked like the kind of guy who was clearly masculine but coveted beauty and thus dressed feminine. Yumichika had his eyes closed tight and wouldn't look at the man. _He must think that the arrancar looks repulsive…._ A bad character flaw that Yumichika possessed was that he would not look at that which was unbeautiful to him, given the choice. Izuru and Shuhei seemed to be doing fine with their arrancars though. Shuhei's looked like a knight with his long flowing hair, and Izuru's reminded Izura of the Mexican god that looked like an eagle.

Izuru's fight ended with quickly with a beheading, and Shuhei ended up having to release his zonpakutō. Izura had never seen the reserved lieutenant release his shikai, Momo had told her that he hated the way the double bladed shikai looked like scythes, weapons of death. Both he and the lieutenant of squad 3 were finished quickly, with Yumichika soon afterwards. He had disappeared to the ground for a few minutes, but returned victorious. Izura was about to check up on Izuru when another nudge took hold of her attention. _Is it normal for babies to move around so much, so suddenly?_ Izura wondered, dropping her hand to her stomach.

"IKKAKU!" Yumichika yelled.

Izura looked up just in time to see Ikkaku crash into the ground below his tower. The tower was destroyed and the arrancar stood above him, poised to deal a death blow. Yumichika started to run to help his friend when he was intercepted by the 2 lieutenants and Shuhei knocked him out. Izura wasn't conscious of what she was doing until she was doing it. She flashed past Shuhei and Izuru, not bothering to check if they were pursuing her. The arrancar went to punch Ikkaku deeper into the ground as Izura arrived, but she grabbed him by the collar of his kimono and started running away from the large arrancar. It was hard to run with all the debris that had fallen from the tower, but Izura didn't let it affect he speed.

Heavily footfalls followed as Izura attempted to escape, and when Izura turned to look over her shoulder she saw the arrancar catching up quickly. _A plan… I need a plan… maybe a kido spell to slow it down first…_ Izura turned around, ready to stay and fight, when Iba and Captain Komomura intervened. Iba quickly stopped the real Karakura Town from coming back (a result of the tower being broken), and the fox captain stopped the arrancar in its tracks.

"Izura!"

"Huh, what?" Izura said looking down at an irate Ikkaku.

"I said you can put me down!" He said, struggling to make her let go of his kimono. Izura was about to do just that when the arrancar winded up and punched the captain, sending him flying. Captain Komomura was one of the strongest captains, and seeing him sent flying scared Izura. She took off again, not stopping until she was sure that she and Ikkaku were safe. She ran into a dark alley and dropped Ikkaku. Her heart was thrumming like a birds and it took her a minute to catch her breath while Ikkaku yelled at her.

"Izura, what the hell did you do that for? I was in the middle of a fight! I was doing fine…"

Izura stopped listening for a minute shocked at what she was hearing. "I just saved your life! If it looked like you were handling it I wouldn't have bothered!" she yelled in reply, interrupting whatever her boyfriend was saying. "Why didn't you use your bankai?"

"You know that I don't want people…"

"Ikkaku, I don't care that you don't want the captains to know! Your assignment was to protect that tower" Izura yelled, pointing her finger in the direction of the destroyed rubble. "You should have done everything you could have to complete your mission, no questions asked. I saved you because you failed, and I don't want to see you die yet!"

"I wasn't going to die!" Ikkaku yelled back. They had never had a fight before, but at the current moment he was irate with Izura. It was his fight, not hers. She knew that he lived to fight. What if she had gotten hurt?

Tears welled in Izura's eyes. "I see I'm wasting my time here." She muttered as she turned her back on Ikkaku and started to leave the alley. If he didn't want her help, she wouldn't give it. Starting right now she was going to completely ignore him when he was in trouble, even if it meant watching him die in silence. That's what he wanted, right?

"Where are you going? Izura!" Ikkaku put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around to face him. He was surprised to see tears on her cheeks, she wouldn't even look at him.

"You… want me to leave you alone… right? Let me go, I'm leaving." She said, attempting to shrug him off. It tore Ikkaku up inside, knowing that he was the one who made her cry. He pulled her into a tight embrace, then gasped. Her stomach felt bloated next to his body, and he pushed Izura back a little bit so that he could see in her eyes.

"Izura! Your stomach… Are you ok?" He hadn't noticed anything weird before, and it had been awhile since she had let them have sex so he didn't see her naked anymore. His mood had gone a complete 180 degrees from angry to worried.

Izura looked into his eyes and took one of his hands in hers. "Feel." She said as she pressed his hand against her baby bump. As if on cue their baby kicked, causing Ikkaku's eyes to widen.

"Izura… talk to me! This doesn't make sense…. Are you ok?" He said, becoming more and more worried for the girl he loved.

"I'm fine," she replied, finally releasing his hand. She wiped away the tears on her face then looked up at him with a tender expression. "That's our baby."

His face remained blank for a moment, then it hit him. "Our… baby.." He pulled Izura back into an embrace, but was a little more careful this time. He placed his chin on top of her head and stroked her back. Izura wrapped her arms around him, taking comfort in the quiet moment.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He finally asked.

"I didn't want you to worry, or have it affect your work… I was going to tell you earlier, but I was interrupted."

Ikkaku remembered their earlier conversation and smacked his forehead with one hand. "So that was it… I was wondering what you had to tell me. Everything makes a little more sense now: the vomiting, the sleeping, your constant feasting…" he said the last part jokingly. "I'm sorry, Izura. I really really am. I brought you into danger because of my stubbornness…" He tilted her head up and kissed her passionately, trying to apologize for his earlier behavior. When they broke apart he suddenly remembered something. "If you knew that you were pregnant, why did you come today? What if you get hurt?"

"I came because you were going to be fighting. And I know that if anything happens you will come and save me." She said smugly.

"This is going to affect your work as a lieutenant you know." He said, reluctant to let her go. She was pretty far along, what if something happened to her?

"I know, but the Captain and I are going to take this on as a team…"

"Momo knew before I did? Who else knows?" He asked incredulously. How many other people knew and didn't tell him that he was going to be a father?

"Well yea, I needed her to know about my situation so that when the time came I could take it easy. I haven't told anyone else besides the nurse who diagnosed me, and I'm not sure if that means that Captain Unohana knows… You know Ikkaku, we need to head back. There is kind of a major battle in the making."

Someone cleared their throat and the couple turned to see Iba. "I couldn't have said it better myself. Captain Komomura took care of that arrancar, let's head back and lend a hand. Jeez, what will the captains think if they know that you 2 are down here being lovey while a fight is progressing?"

Izura released Ikkaku and pushed him towards Iba. "Go, I'm gonna head back up to Rangiku."

Ikkaku looked at Izura, and she suddenly seemed so much frailer. He knew better than to tell her this though, she could handle herself. "Will you be ok?"

"Of course I will. Now stay out of trouble…" she winked, and then headed back up 70 meters in the air where multiple fights were beginning to break out.


	18. Two is Better than One

Chapter 17: Two Is Better Than One, Three Is Even Better

Arrancars and soul reapers clashed and battles commenced. The captain and lieutenant of squad 2 were handling the last 2 inferior arrancars under Lord Barragan (Izura found out his name as one of the arrancars ranted to Soi Fon), the dark skinned arrancar. Soi Fon seemed to be toying with her opponent, gauging his strength. At the same time, Omaeda was flapping his mouth like he always did, not really putting effort into fighting his opponent.

Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake faced the man and the child arrancars. Kyoraku had only drawn one of his swords, but he didn't look like he was in a serious fight with the male arrancar (whose face said that he'd rather kick back and watch the other fights) either. Izura gave the arrancar a second glance, captivated by the sexy appearance he had, and then shook her head as if to shake the thoughts away. At the same time, Ukitake looked peaceful as he exchanged words with the fiery child he had been pitted up against. Izura knew he wouldn't fight her, it went against his nature (unless she turned out to be a real threat, then he would carry out his orders). It looked like he was asking the older arrancar to send her away so she wouldn't be harmed.

Lastly, Izura turned her attention to the fight she was about to enter. The captain of squad 10 was facing off with a tan female. She reminded Izura of a princess of the Middle East, mixed with the dangerous allure of an assassin. Her outfit covered the bottom half of her face and extended down just below her large breasts. It was long sleeved and where it ended Izura could see gloves. Her bottom half was covered by a standard kimono bottom that hung on her hips. Her short blond hair drifted lightly in the breeze along with the 3 longer sections that hung like ponytails, and her cold turquoise eyes matched Hitsugaya's. She was definitely the leader of this group, an espada.

A few yards away, Rangiku was facing off against the 3 other arrancars who had been with the beautiful espada. She was holding her own alright, but she definitely wasn't winning. She was slightly scuffed up and she had released Haineko, her zonpakutō. She held her pommel of her now bladeless sword and a mist seemed to drift around her. Izura examined the arrancars.

The one to the far left looked shy the way she held her long sleeves up in front of her mouth. Her outfit only showed the skin of her neck and face and flowed all the way down over her feet. She was calmer than the other 2 she was paired with, but something about her told Izura she was just as deadly. She had long green hair and her mask fragments looked like hairclips on the right side of her head. Her eyes were a similar shade of purple to Izura's. Underneath her right eye were 3 dots that were the same color as her eyes and got smaller as they went down her cheek.

The arrancar in the middle was a loud mouth. Izura could hear her shouting from far away. Her outfit was unzipped just enough to show off some cleavage. If it had been zipped up it would have looked like a turtle neck jacket. It ended halfway down her upper arms and she had huge disk-like bracelets around her wrists. Her black hair was cropped at the jawline and on top of her head sat her mask. It was shaped like the nose of a deer skull, but rested flat along the very top of her head. It also had a single horn coming out near her forehead similar to a unicorn. Her right eye was blue, while the left was brown and circled with red eyeliner.

The final arrancar waited on the far right of Rangiku. Her dark skin contrasted to the skimpy outfit she wore. She looked like an amazon warrior, with a small tube top like garment that covered her breasts but showed off her entire cleavage and a short skirt. A long sword rested at her hip. Her dark brown hair was wavy and rested on her back. The fragments of her mask formed a three-sectioned crown atop her head with a matching choker necklace.

"Hey, uh… Do you guys mind if I sit this one out for a bit?" The one in the middle asked with a bored expression on her face.

"Excuse me?" replied the arrancar to her right.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" also replied the arrancar to her right in a kind of shrill tone.

"Come on! This chick is a total loser. She can't win this, its three on one, this isn't even a contest." The one in the middle continued. She turned her attention back to Rangiku. "Hey girly, I'm not gonna hold it against you if you need to run and grab your friend." She said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder in captain Hitsugaya's direction. "If this were three against two you would at least have a shot, know what I'm sayin?"

Rangiku narrowed her eyes then used her flash step to attack the arrancar. _Hold on Rangiku, I'm almost there!_ Izura thought as she tried to run a little faster. Rangiku was stopped dead in her tracks, clotheslined by the arrancar.

The arrancar looked beyond pissed as she grabbed Rangiku's pink scarf and threw her back towards where she had been standing before. "I SAID, YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE!"

Rangiku twisted around then sent some of Haineko's mist around the arrancar, though it was easily deflected by a red cero attack. The arrancar propelled herself towards the lieutenant of squad 10 shouting "You don't have what it takes to fight me, let alone the three of us!"

Both Izura and the arrancar were nearing Rangiku, and Izura decided that now was the time to attack. She drew Hoshi Shukketsu from its sheath and said "Fall to the Earth, Hoshi Shukketsu." Izura quickly sent the shuriken at the arrancar at a speed that would rival her flash step. The first star hit the arrancar in the stomach, deeply imbedding itself.

"What?" She cried out in surprise, then she was hit with a giant fireball.

It was Rangiku and Izura's turn to be surprised, as Izura and Momo arrived beside Rangiku at the same time. Izura held the hilt of her sword in front of her, ready for a counterattack. She looked at Rangiku in her peripheral vision.

"You ok, Rangiku?" She asked.

"Yea, thanks guys. Momo… Are you ok, now? Being here?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I've come here as the Captain of Squad 5. And when I say that, I mean I have come here as someone who does not take their title lightly, like you once told me…. My days of taking orders from Captain Aizen are over. He betrayed the Soul Society and he is a threat." She replied, stepping forward to stand beside Rangiku. She held Tobiume out in front of her in both hands, ready to fight.

"Glad to see you, Captain." Izura replied with a smile.

Before the captain could respond a shout came from the smoke that had been left by Tobiume's attack. "You done yet?"

Suddenly a disk shot from the cloud towards Rangiku. She rose up a cloud of Haineko's mist, deflecting it, and then Momo shot a blast of fire from Tobiume. The blast sent the disk back to the dissipating cloud of smoke where it encircled itself around the arrancars wrist. _Those are her zonpakutō?_ Izura thought.

"I get it… that blast I got hit with came from that sword of yours, huh?" The arrancar said. She had a couple burns around her body and her left pant leg was completely burnt away. "And you, this must belong to… you." She said as she painfully tore the shuriken piece of Hoshi Shukketsu from her abdomen. She spun it around her finger once or twice then shot it back at Izura, who took control of it once more before it could harm anyone.

"Not bad… Not bad at all. And you are a captain and lieutenant, no less. Not that it matters though, we'll crush you!" The arrancar clapped her wrists together and the disks came off. Each disk became a half-moon shape with 3 distinct spikes. At the same time, the warrior drew her long sword and the calmer arrancar shifted her sleeve, revealing a sai.

"Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, Let's finish this and get back to master Hallibel already!"

"She never shuts up, does she?" Mila Rose, the warrior-like arrancar said.

"She's the one making all the fuss…" replied Sung-Sun, the other arrancar.

"Although…" Mila Rose started.

"Apache does have a point." Sung-Sun finished.

The three arrancars closed in and Izura gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. She looked ahead to Sung-Sun who was headed right for her, moving like a snake.

"Relax, Izura." Momo said quietly. All of a sudden, red ropes of energy appeared like a web around the arrancars.

"What.. What is this?" Apache yelled, looking back and forth between the ropes that were connected to her.

"When I struck you before… You didn't give it any thought, did you?" Izura's captain asked. "How my Tobiume blasted into you from out of nowhere?" Momo let her statement sink in then continued. "Together, the three of you are stronger than I am. In order to get I close enough I had to hide my presence as well as my spiritual pressure with kido. At the same time I set up this net around Rangiku. Truthfully though, I never expected it to ensnare all three of you." Izura noticed that a thread of the net was also connected to her captain's arm.

"You little…"

"Now Snap, Tobiume!" The captain of squad 5 cried out as she flicked her zonpakutō along the net where it was connected to her arm. Flame engulfed the thread an followed it up, spreading along every inch of the net until it engulfed the arrancars and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Izura turned to her captain who was slightly out of breath.

"Are you all right captain?"

"Yes… I've never used that combination of techniques before… is all…"

"That was amazing…"

"That was Fushibi, hado number 12, right?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes, I wove Fushibi and Shokkaho together to form the net, then used Kyokkou to make them invisible." Momo replied as Rangiku looked at her friend with pride and respect.

"Thrust, Cierva!"

"Eat Your Fill, Leona!"

"Strangle to Death, Anaconda."

The arrancars appeared out of the new smoke cloud as they released their resurrecione forms. Apache was now clad in a dense brown fur that remained close to her body like a jumpsuit. Her cleavage was more exposed and her mask had expanded so that she now had two large antlers. Both her eyes were brown now as well and were surrounded by red eyeliner that went down like a lightning bolt at the outer corners.

Mila Rose's mask became her primary form of clothing, only covering the bare essentials. She now had long boots that went almost all the way up her leg and matching gloves that looked like her necklace. The mask also created a skimpy thong and her breasts were only covered by three claw like protrusions that came up and surrounded each breast. Her necklace was larger and atop her head the crown had become denser and a long blond mane flowed out of it on top of her normal brown hair.

Sung-Sun had barely anything new to her outfit. Instead of legs her whole bottom half was now that of a snake and led up to her long sleeves. Her barrettes had also become larger, forming a half helmet on the right side of her head.

"I didn't think my attack would be enough to kill them, but they are virtually unscathed." Momo said under her breath.

"Their injuries heal when they take ressurecione form…" Rangiku replied. "That's how they've managed to get this far…"

"Che~ Bite me! You think you're all that, huh?" Apache replied. She charged a large cero between her antlers then shot it straight at Izura.

"Izura, NO!" Momo cried as she released another blast of fire from Tobiume. It hit the cero blast but they both kept coming straight for them. The captain ran over and picked up Izura, then used flash step to dodge, all the while with a confused looking Rangiku following behind.

"Are you alright, Izura?" Her captain asked as she put her down again.

"Yes, thank you Captain."

"Momo, don't you think that she could've done that herself?" Rangiku asked, puzzling over why Momo was taking so much care over her lieutenant.

"Normally, yes." Izura replied. "But… I'm 5 months pregnant."

Rangiku gasped. "REALLY? Wow!" She squealed. "And you waited all this time to tell me.. Really, that hurts Izura." The older woman pouted. "It's daddy is Ikkaku, isn't it?" She asked in a playful tone.

Izura felt her cheeks blush but nodded. "I just told him before I came to help you."

"Finally!" Momo teased.

"Well, then." Rangiku said as she turned back toward the arrancars. "Let's finish up these guys and get you home then."

"YOU'RE GONNA FINISH US?" came Apache's reply. "Stop fluffing your egos and-"

"Apache, enough." Mila Rose interrupted.

"If anyone's ego is being fluffed, it's yours." replied Sung-Sun.

"AW, SHUT UP! I don't need to be taking this from you two either!" Apache yelled while pointing at Sung-Sun.

"Please be quiet Sung-Sun, you're only making her worse… we need to step up our game." Mila Rose broke in.

"No other choice, really."

"Man, I can't believe this. We're really gonna waste it on this pair of losers?"

The three arrancars took hold of their left arms ad said: "Quimera Parca." Red lights engulfed the arms then shot down into the space in between them, creating a type of intense spiritual pressure emanated from the space, and Izura swallowed hard.

"What… is that?" she asked in a whisper.

All three of the soul reapers whimpered slightly in the face of the creature. A giant chimera that resembled a minotaur with deer antlers and a snake for a tail stood before them, and it was massive (almost as large as a Menos Grande).

"What in the world _is that_?" Rangiku said.

Apache smirked. "Quimera Parca. It's our pet, created when we combine our left arms together. You have to admit he's a work of art… We like to call him… Ayon."

_Just being near that thing makes me feel so cold… I don't think I could move if I tried…_ Izura thought to herself. She mentally called Hoshi Shukketsu's fragments closer to herself, ready for an attack. The beast tilted its head, then lunged for Izura. Before she could move it had arrived, but so had Rangiku. It punched, hitting Rangiku, and through her, Izura. Rangiku's side was bleeding heavily where she had been hit and Izura had the wind blown out of her lungs. She knew she had a couple broken bones, it made her concerned for her baby.

"Rangiku! Izura!" Momo cried out.

"Oh… Did I forget to mention? Ayon is deadly; you have to play carefully with him." Apache said with a tone that was heavy with sarcasm.

Izura saw Rangiku fall unconscious and knew it was only a matter of time for her as well as dots filled her vision. Captain Hitsugaya tensed where he was fighting the espada Hallibel, and Izura knew it was hard for him to not turn around and check on his lieutenant.

"Bakudo 37: Sudeibashi!"

A blue net of gelatinous energy appeared below Izura and Rangiku as they fell, stopping them from falling into the pavement. Her captain dropped down beside them and went to Izura.  
>"Help Rangiku… first… She can't breathe…" Izura said as her vision darkened. The last thing she heard before she passed out was a faint "IZURA!"<p>

_Ikkaku…_


	19. Waking Up

Chapter 18: Waking Up

_How long has it been like this… It's so… dark. I can't hear anything… Did we win the fight? Was Captain Hinamori successful? Ikkaku…. Where is Ikkaku? Why am I still I this dark place… What about my baby… Is he alright….? My little Hiro…. Am I…. dead? Am I really, honest to goodness dead this time? I wonder if a broken bone managed to puncture a vital organ… I guess that one only gets so many chances… Why me? Ikkaku… Ikkaku, if I'm not dead… save me!_

It was sometime later that Izura began to get a sense of her surroundings. She slowly regained her hearing; there were many hushed murmurs around her. One of which sounded like Captain Unohana.

"Be calm Ikkaku. Her vitals are good and her bones have long since healed. She will wake up when she is ready." The captain said near Izura's head.

_Ikkaku…?_

"But Captain Unohana… It's been almost 4 months! And the baby…"

"I assure you, the baby is fine as well and will probably be ready to come out when his mother awakens. Go get some sleep Ikkaku, I will stay with her."

"**His**? Our baby is a boy?" Her love replied, sounding excited by the prospect of having a son. Izura head slight shuffling, she guessed Unohana must have nodded. _4 months…. How did I manage to sleep for 4 months? But at least… my sweet little Hiro is safe…_

It was quiet for a minute, then Ikkaku said "I'm gonna stay here, but I will take a nap… Thank you Captain Unohana, for everything…"

"Of course Ikkaku."

Izura was left alone in the darkness again for quite some time. No one spoke, no noises were made. Izura counted to herself to pass the time. When she had reached 79,086 she began to regain feeling in her limbs. At 90,345 she could feel every inch of her body and heard Ikkaku stirring from his sleep. Izura could feel an IV in her right arm, and Ikkaku was resting on his arms on the left side of the bed. Izura felt extremely heavy and figured it must be from her little trooper. No one would ever know just how relieved she was that he was ok. She would thank Rangiku the first chance she got though. She paid a steep price for Izura, taking most of the blow upon herself._ I wonder how she is doing… I didn't even get hit by most of the blow and I've been out for months…_

Izura opened her eyes slowly and let them adjust to the light. Everything was very bright and it was hard for her to keep her eyes open for long. She moaned in frustration and felt Ikkaku immediately tense up at the sound.

"Izura? Babe, if you're awake, make another sound or… or here. Squeeze my fingers." He said quietly as he slipped his hand in hers. Izura squeezed lightly.

"Ikkaku… What… happened?" She asked. Her voice sounded like that of an old crone from disuse.

"IZURA!" She felt his arms encircle her neck and her eyes popped open. She raised a weak hand to his back and rubbed it back and forth comfortingly. Her neck became wet from the tears escaping Ikkaku's eyes, and then from her own as well. _She's ok… oh Izura… I'm so glad_. He thought as he tried to stop the flow of tears, he hated crying. He wasn't weak like it made him look. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, all things considered. What happened? Why was I out for 4 months?" She asked. Ikkaku had a perplexed look on his face, and Izura explained. "I've been able to hear for a while now, I just couldn't move."

Seeming to accept her answer, Ikkaku looked out the window and Izura saw a bird fly past. "When you and Rangiku got hit by that monster… I ran to help. Between Captain Hinamori and my bankai's, we took it out. You've been in a coma since."

"What about Aizen? Did we win?" She asked, hoping that since she was alive that meant they had won. "And you bankais… You both used them? What's Momo's like? What happened?"

"Yes, we won. And I think that you should ask Momo herself. We can talk all about it later though… I'm gonna go get Captain Unohana, I'll be right back." He replied with a victorious grin.

"Wait."

Ikkaku turned back towards Izura and he looked at her weary face. She motioned him closer and closer until he was just a few millimeters from her face, and then rose up the remaining space to kiss him. He reached his hand behind her head and cautiously laid her back down against the pillow, all the while keeping their kiss intact. When he broke from the kiss he chuckled. He had missed this, her taste in his mouth.

"I'll be right back, I promise."

Izura was only alone a few minutes when her entire abdomen began to hurt. She immediately dropped her hands to the large basketball that was her stomach. _Is it time… Hiro?_ Izura sighed and laid back, mentally preparing for the next few hours. She had no idea what to expect, and in the chaos that had surrounded her the past 9 months she hadn't been able to find anyone to talk to about it either. The bed suddenly felt very wet around her, and sure enough she had wet the sheets. _My water must have broken…_

_This is definitely worse than any period cramps I have ever had…_ Izura thought a few minutes later as she rolled into a makeshift fetal position around her stomach. Then the pain subsided, and Izura relaxed out of her scrunched up position. At the same time, Momo, Rangiku, Ikkaku and captain Unohana came back in through the door.

"Izura!" Her captain and fellow lieutenant exclaimed, hurrying over to her bed.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Rangiku said, then patted the top of her head.

"Hi Rangiku, Captain Hina-" Izura replied before she was grasped with another fit of pain. She tried to ignore it, but it soon became too much and she scrunched back up into a fetal position with a groan.

"Izura!" Suddenly her hand was being grasped by Ikkaku's and he was right beside. "Are you ok?"

Izura couldn't quite form words through the pain, so she nodded and looked up at the captain of squad 4. When she could finally talk and the pain was subsiding she said "I think it's time, Ikkaku."

"Time for what?"

"The baby's coming." Captain Unohana said, a look of amusement at Ikkaku's question on her face. She turned to Izura's captain and the lieutenant of squad 10. "I'm sorry to cut this reunion short, but I need to ask you two to wait in the hall."

"Of course" They replied in unison. They hadn't moved since Izura's second contraction started, but they both moved in closer quickly.

"We'll be right outside, good luck Izura." Momo said to her.

"You'll do fine; I can't wait to see my nephew!" Rangiku added.

"You're not related to either of us, how does that make you the aunt?" Ikkaku said sarcastically and with a little of skepticism.

"Because I said so!" Rangiku replied, as she danced out of the room with Momo in tow. Ikkaku shook his head with a laugh under his breath. Whatever she wanted, it didn't really matter. Neither he nor Izura had siblings. At this rate, Yumichika may end up being the kid's uncle…

It wasn't long before a couple of nurses were in the room buzzing about like bees. One went to put a new IV in her arm but Izura jerked away. There was no way in HELL she would let them put another in her arm. She had barely been able to stop herself from ripping the other out when she realized it was there. She shook her head.

"But Lieutenant Lee, these are pain meds that will help with the pain! Please let me put this in…" the nurse asked, a little shaken.

"No… I hate needles. As a matter of fact, take this one out too before I rip it out myself…" Izura panted.

"Izura. You should really do what they tell you, they're only trying to help and make sure you two are healthy…" Ikkaku tried to reason with her without success. The nurse came over and withdrew the needle from her arm, then Izura pulled it back in defensively, she was NOT going to have more needles put in her.

Hours went by as the time between contractions got shorter and shorter. Izura was sure that from the amount of pressure she was exerting on Ikkaku's hand that there were going to be broken bones. As her time grew nearer her groans turned into full blown screams of agony. The nurses all told her that she was doing great and to keep pushing.

"I can see his head Izura, give one last big push." Captain Unohana encouraged. With one last push she delivered her son after almost 24 hours of labor. She heard him start to cry as his lungs filled with air. A nurse cleaned him up and put him in footy pajamas with a cute snuggly hat then returned him to Izura to hold. She marveled at the tiny creature in her arms that was drifting off to sleep. His entire head was covered in the softest black hair she had ever felt and his facial features reminded her of Ikkaku's. His skin was so soft as Izura stroked his cheek. Tears fell from her eyes as she turned to look at her little baby's father. He had an awed look as he watched Izura interact with their son, and he smiled when she caught his eye.

"Ikkaku, would you like to hold our little Hiro?" Izura asked. She couldn't wait to see her big strong man holding their tiny baby. When he nodded she gently passed him Hiro then slumped back into the bed, exhausted. It was such a sight to see him being so tender and gentle, no one from squad 11 ever looked that way (not even captain Zaraki with Yachiru).

"He looks so much like you…" Ikkaku muttered as he held his son. Izura chuckled, causing him to turn and look at her. "What?"

"I was thinking that he looked like YOU." She giggled. Her throat was still dry and she coughed as her laughter scratched her throat. Captain Unohana quickly poued her a glass of water then went back to cleaning up the room around her. "Thanks captain."

"Anytime Izura." She replied before she left the room with the nurses. "If you need anything just call…"

The glass was downed in record timing and Izura watched with heavy lids as Ikkaku rocked Hiro back and forth gently. "Ikkaku…" Izura whispered, her voice laced with the heaviness of the sleep that threatened to take her.

"Yea, Babe?" He replied, looking up at her.

"I'm gonna take a nap… can you wake me up if he gets hungry?" She said as her eyes closed.

"Course, Izura. Take a nap; I'm sure you need it. I love you."

"Love you…too… zzzzzz"


	20. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

**{Quick Note: The end contains Lemon! I figured that I needed to add one in if I rated my story a 'M'… If you DON'T want to read Lemon, you can read until the paragraph that starts: "It was dark before they got home"… Enjoy!}**

"Lieutenant Madarame! Lieutenant Madarame!" The soul reaper ran throughout the barracks trying to find his lieutenant. _I can't stand this kid anymore!_ If he had to babysit him any longer they would have to put him in an insane asylum. "Lieutenant! There you are…"

"Yes, Kipren?" Izura turned around at the sound of her name being called. She wasn't in a very good mood to talk; she had quite a bit of work to do. "Is this important?"

"Well… It's Hiro. I can't take him anymore, he's driving me crazy! Is there any way you cou…" He broke off and withered under the intense glare of his lieutenant, she looked like she would kill him right on the spot.

"YOU are supposed to be watching him! What am I going to do with you? Such incompetence…" Izura groaned in frustration then sighed as an idea popped up in her head. "BRING him here, then you will be doing all the cleaning tasks for the next month. Am I understood?" Izura said in a commanding tone. This was the third babysitter this week that hadn't been able to handle her 5 year old son. _Hiro, you know that mommy's busy, why do you do this to me?_ She thought exasperatedly.

Kipren skirted away from the terrifying woman that was his lieutenant and returned quickly with her son. "Now go and wash every single window in the barracks. When you are finished come and see me AGAIN." He was gone just as quickly as he had come. "Hiro, were you playing rough again?" she quietly asked the small boy.

The small boy grasped her pant leg but didn't look up at her. His shaggy black hair hung down over his eyes slightly but she could still the red marks at the corners of his eyes. He insisted every day that he have them so he could look just like Daddy. He had all of Ikkaku's features except that he had retained Izura's eye color and didn't lack hair.

"Mom, he was stupid. He wouldn't last 2 minutes with a lower ranked hollow." He finally spoke up. He looked up at his mom with a determined expression, the very one that Izura tended to make.

"I know, but it's my job to worry about that. I have a very important position in this squad that demands a lot of my attention. Can you please try to behave from now on? If you don't, we'll have to talk to daddy about your behavior." Izura said as sternly as possible. It was hard to get mad at him, she was sure that Ikkaku was the same at this age. Not only that, but his antics amused her. Next to Nir, Kipren was her second least favorite member of the squad anyways so… Izura chuckled to herself causing Hiro to look up at her like he had missed the joke.

"What? What's funny Mom?" He asked with a contemplative expression. "Was it something I did?"

"Yes and No." Izura replied. "Don't worry about it though." They walked through the barracks in near silence for a while with only the occasional comment about the weather or something Hiro had done today. Izura thought about the past 5 years and how much her son had grown. Hiro was very intelligent for one. He could outsmart any of the non-ranked soul reapers in the squad. Serious with strangers and acquaintances, he could also be a total goof like his father when it suited him. The day that Ikkaku had taught Hiro the Lucky Dance would be ingrained in her memory until she died. THIS thought made her crack up and she started laughing so hard that her sides hurt. Hiro jumped back with nearly inhuman speed and looked at his mother. A little bit shaken at the sudden outburst, he watched her with a weary look.

"What? Come on Mom! What are you thinking about?" He asked in frustration. His stance looked like a jaguar, prepared to attack or defend depending on whatever happened next.

When Izura had finally gotten a grip she went over to her perplexed son and gave him a hug. "This time I was thinking about Daddy's Lucky Dance. Sorry Hiro, I didn't mean to scare you." She let one last giggle escape her lips then she took his hand. "Let's go see Daddy, I think that's enough work today." _Even though I truth there is still a lot to do, I don't feel like it right now. Nothing can ruin my mood…_

The squad 11 barracks were bustling with activity when they arrived. Soul reapers cluttered the court yard and were muttering excitedly. Izura picked Hiro up and held him close, ready in case of any unforeseen circumstances. She walked up to a mammoth of a man near the back of the crowd and tapped his arm. The man turned around slowly with an indifferent expression on his face until he recognized Izura.

"Lieutenant Madarame, How's it going? Hey little Hiro." He said in a deep tenor of a voice. He ruffled Hiro's soft black hair then turned back to Izura. "How can I help you?"

"What's going on here? Everyone is so excited, is there a fight going on?" She asked, hoping that if it was anyone, it was Ikkaku. If he was involved, she wouldn't have to worry about Hiro possibly getting hurt.

"Sure is! Ikkaku and the Captain are having a match. They haven't started yet, but everyone is making bets on who they think will win. Ikkaku isn't too far behind the captain in votes, we'll have to see!" He laughed out in a booming tempo.

_Hmmm… I wanna see the match, but if Kenpachi is fighting I'm not sure I want to bring Hiro any closer. He wouldn't hurt him intentionally, but if there was an accident… Sigh. I don't want to leave him with any of these guys either… I wish Rangiku were here!_ Izura thought to herself while chewing on her bottom lip. As if granting her secret wish, she suddenly heard a voice calling out behind her.

"Izura! Hiro-chan! What's up?" Rangiku asked as she came to a halt beside Izura.

"Ikkaku and Kenpachi are having a match. What's up with you?" Izura replied as she shifted Hiro to her other hip.

Rangiku looked up into the sky and took a deep breath of cool fall air. "I came to get the Yachiru for the Shinigami Women's Association meeting tonight. Want me to hold on to Hiro while you get closer?" Rangiku always seemed to know what Izura wanted, it was part of the reason that they were such great friends. To top it off, Hiro really loved her like he would an aunt.

"Sure, bring him up on a rooftop so he can watch too though. Thanks so much Rangiku!" She replied as she passed off Hiro.

"Hey Hiro-chan, how was your day?" Rangiku asked the little boy as she gave him a huge hug.

"Eh, it was alright. I wish _you_ were my babysitter aunty." He replied, causing Rangiku to laugh. Before she could hear any more Izura was heading through the crowd towards the center where there was a little clearing. Soul reapers courteously moved out of her way as she went, they all knew who she was. The thing that bothered Izura most though was that the members of the most violent squad in the Seireitei were more courteous to her than her own squad, the supposed _gentlest_ squad. When she made it to the clearing she was immediately called out.

"Izura, how nice of you to come and play." The squad 11 captain said, the bells in his hair lightly tinkling as he turned to face her. He was closer to her, and her husband stood across the clearing.

"Hey babe, what's up? Where is Hiro?" Ikkaku asked nonchalantly.

"He's with Rangiku, we came to see you. Now are you guys going to get this fight on or what?" Izura replied with her own question. Every time Ikkaku was in a spar it made the adrenaline flow in her veins and rather than being afraid for him, she was excited. Kenpachi began to laugh suddenly and it caught her off guard.

"If you are so excited for a fight, you should come and fight me." He said with a grin, though Izura knew he was perfectly serious. She remembered the promise she had made him when he got her into the Soul Reaper academy all those years ago, and a grin split out across her own face.

"Sure thing, captain. Let's do this." She made her way over to where Ikkaku was standing, dumbstruck.

_No, no, no. I don't think so…_ He thought to himself. _First off, this is_ my _fight. Secondly, he could _kill _you Izura. What are you thinking?_ She had just about reached him. "What do you think you are doing? This is my match." Ikkaku said, trying to reason with her in his own way. He didn't want to see her get hurt, especially today. It was their anniversary for Pete's sake!

"Not anymore, I have a debt to be paid." Izura replied with an excited edge to her voice. Though he knew she didn't mean it in such a way, the way his wife had said that simple fraise sounded entirely seductive to him. He stepped back, but remained ready in case he felt he needed to save her. Izura drew Hoshi Shukketsu and faced her opponent, his captain.

"Ready? Here I come!" Kenpachi called as he lunged across the space between himself and Izura. She darted to the side and just barely blocked a powerful strike that he aimed at her midsection. To keep her own sword and his from hitting her she had to brace the back of the blade with her free hand. She pushed him off of her and dodged around to his right side, his blind side. "Too slow." Came a voice in her ear.

Kenpachi was right beside her, poised to strike. With a quick roll and tumble Izura was out of the way and it wasn't a moment too soon. Kenpachi's zonpakutō swished through the air where she had been only a half second before. Izura got to her feet and charged, managing to force the Squad 11 captain to block.

"Heh, bring it." He replied with his deadly smirk.

Izura jumped back, but his sword sliced her stomach shallowly. "Nice shot, Captain…" She said as she pressed a hand to her stomach. It wasn't a wound that could cost her, but it was gonna bleed for a few minutes. "Fall to the Earth, Hoshi Shukketsu!"

Izura released her zonpakutō and barraged her superior with 10 shuriken in a flurry of sharp metal. He allowed it for a minute then busted out of the tornado-like attack. He charged at her with sword poised, and this time Izura couldn't defend herself. She jumped back a couple of times to dodge as he swung his blade, then tripped and fell on her back. Kenpachi was about to stab his sword into her when she flipped off of the ground backwards and landed again on her feet. The moment could have been fatal, but Kenpachi stopped his barrage.

"What's the matter captain? I didn't expect you to stop such a fun fight."

"That's about where I expected you to be if you didn't have a bankai. Let's do this again sometime." He said as he sheathed his sword. Izura heard Ikkaku release a shaky breath, then he helped her up.

"Thanks for a great spar, captain Zaraki." Izura replied, she couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. She had fought Kenpachi Zaraki, one of the most feared soul reapers in existence, and got away with only a minor cut. Of course, she knew that he hadn't put his all into the fight, but it was probably because big ole Uncle Kenny had a soft spot for Hiro. In Hiro's eyes, he was second only to Ikkaku. When Izura did allow him to come to the squad 11 barracks he almost never left the captain's side. Yachiru enjoyed having him around too, though she was much bigger now than when Izura had first met her.

"Are you okay Izura? How's that slice?" Ikkaku asked as he pulled her in close. He put an arm out over her shoulders and she put hers on his back.

"Not even bleeding anymore. What did you think, did I do well?" She asked, watching Rangiku come through the crowd with Hiro. He was beaming from ear to ear and seemed like he couldn't wait to see her.

"When don't you? Hey, there's my boy." He broke off as Rangiku let their son down and he ran and jumped into his father's waiting arms. Ikkaku raised him up above his head and threw him into the air, causing him to squeal and laugh.

"You're getting better, no doubt." The Ginger greeted Izura as she approached. "Hiro was so excited as he watched you fight… He wasn't expecting you to accept at all. He had this hungry glint to his eyes, I have a feeling that it won't be long now until he shows the ability needed to join the academy."

"Thanks Rangiku. You know, you and I should spar sometime."

"Nuh uh, sorry Izura. I don't fight unless I gotta. I could get all dirty and then Toshiro will wonder why and if he finds out that I've been fighting he'll think that I have enough capability to do all my work… and we don't want that, do we?" Izura's friend winked.

Izura rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever Rangiku. It's not like we other lieutenants have to pick up any extra slack or anything." Izura giggled.

"Awww, come on Izura. Don't hate on me because I like to keep myself young and beautiful." The older woman whined. When she had calmed down she whispered. "Tonight's your anniversary right? Why don't you let me take Hiro for the night so you can enjoy yourselves?"

Izura wanted to blush but she controlled herself. Rangiku actually had a great idea and it had been so long… "I appreciate it, thanks so much Rangiku."

"Anytime, I'll bring him home tomorrow at some point..."

"No drinking tonight Rangiku, Hiro _will_ tell me if you did."

"Aww.. Fine, I promise." The lieutenant of squad 10 cupped her hands to her mouth then shouted towards Ikkaku and Hiro who were tussling on the ground. "Hey Hiro, you're staying over my place tonight! What do you want for dinner?"

The black haired boy stopped jumping on his father and looked thoughtful. After about a minute his face lit up. "Can we go to the ramen shop?"

"Sure thing little Hiro. Come on, let's get going before all the good seats are taken!" She called as she started heading towards the gate. Hiro got up and ran after her.

"Is Toshiro coming?" Izura heard him ask as he grasped his adopted aunt's hand. They were gone before she could hear the answer. Izura walked over to her husband who still laid on the ground, sprawled out on his back. He groaned as Izura helped him to his feet.

"Let's go home."

It was dark before they got home. Masaomi mewed as they entered but instead of begging for dinner he ran out the front door. Izura didn't mind so long as he didn't cause any issues and Momo had said that it was fine if he ran around the grounds, she liked cats. Before she could flip the lights on, a hand grasped her around the waist and the other grabbed her chin lightly. Hot breath tickled her ear as her husband whispered.

"Tonight you are mine and mine alone, Mrs. Madarame." He whispered seductively. He turned her head towards him a little more then kissed her. Ikkaku wasn't being PG tonight. It wasn't every day that they got time to their selves. He forced her mouth open and began probing around her mouth, relishing the taste she had. _Almost honey-like_… Her tongue entwined with his and they performed a silent dance. The door was still open, but Ikkaku shut it with a light kick from his foot. They moved through the house, losing clothes as they went. By the time that they reached the bedroom they were skin on skin.

Izura felt cold as she was exposed to the nighttime air, but Ikkaku's body kept her warm. She pressed herself close wanting him more and more. They had almost made it to the bed and she tripped backwards. She fell on her back, but they had been close enough that she had fallen on the bed. Ikkaku crawled up on top of her and started kissing her neck and shoulders.

"You alright?" He asked between kisses.

"Yea," she panted, wishing he would get it started already. His hands trailed down to her sides and he positioned himself between her legs.

"Here I come…" He said, then thrust inside of her. He started gently, then slowly picked up the pace. With each new thrust Izura moaned and each moan was louder than the last. Ikkaku planted more kisses around her stomach as he continued to thrust, her moans causing him to get more and more excited.

"Ikkaku… faster… harder…" She begged. She knew he could, why was he holding out on her? She held his head as he sped up, keeping in time with her moans of ecstasy. He was as fierce in bed as he was on the battlefield, always reminding Izura that he was in control. The friction between them was as delicious as any ripe fruit and the two of them coveted it even more so. When he finally came he withdrew from her body and collapsed beside her.

"It's been a while…" He said as Izura snuggled up close to him.

"I know, but that was fantastic…"

"Happy Anniversary Babe…" Ikkaku said with a yawn. The weight of sleep was covering him, pulling him down into the darkness.

"Happy Anniversary Ikkaku, I love you…"

"I love you too, Izura."

_**Fin**_

**Author's Note: I hope you guys liked it! This started as a way to distract myself in English class, but in the end I really enjoyed writing it. I've written other quick fics before, but this was my first coherent story with a semi-good plot. I appreciate comments, criticism, tips, etc. But I guess in general I just want to know what you liked, what you thought was corny or absolutely stupid, etc. I would especially appreciate any comments and concerns with the lemon. That was my first one ever and I hope I didn't disappoint… ^^; **

**Have a great Holiday season and THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING! **

**Aceof2010Spades**


End file.
